Upping the Antedating of "Surrealism"

[Fred Shapiro]

On Sun, 13 Oct 2002, Gareth Branwyn wrote:

> 1931? '28? Let's crank it all the way back to 1917, May 11, 1917:

Perhaps Barry Popik's postings, which use the word "antedating" (actually,
he says "antedate") in an idiosyncratic fashion referring to the first use
of a word or its cognates or etymons in any language, have spread
confusion among other people on this list.  When I posted an antedating of
"surrealism," I meant the English word, not the French word.  This is
usually what one means by an "antedating."  Nevertheless, Gareth's
information is an improvement on what the OED says about the French word.
I wonder what _Tresor de la langue francaise_  has to say.

Fred Shapiro


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