pend, v.

[Dan Goncharoff]

Did the headline really use alumnus' and not alumnus's?
DanG


On Wed, Nov 9, 2011 at 11:33 AM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      pend, v.
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Headline in today's Yale Daily News re "a course on the conservative =
> alumnus' legacy" supported by the student-run William F. Buckley, Jr. =
> Program:
>
> Buckley course pends approval
>
> The meaning is basically 'awaits', as sort of made clear from the =
> post-jump headline on the article, "Course requires approval".=20
>
> The most relevant OED entry is PEND v., 5
>
> =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
> Etymology:  Back-formation < pending adj.
> Chiefly Business.
>  trans. To treat as pending; to postpone deciding on or attending to; =
> to defer.
>
> 1953    P. Frankau Winged Horse iii. i. 178   Why didn't you ask J.G. to =
> pend it till New Year?
> 1970    New Scientist 16 July 134   It has done this by =91pending=92 =
> the settlement of nine patent applications.
> 2003    Westchester County (N.Y.) Business Jrnl. (Nexis) 17 Mar. 15   At =
> times, claims are pended because of coordination of benefits or other =
> issues, and they may be delayed somewhat.
>
> =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
> But none of these definitions or cites quite fit, although the 1970 cite =
> comes close.  I certainly couldn't report that a course pends approval, =
> but YMMV (especially if you're composing a headline).
>
> LH=
>
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