Herp

[Baker, John]

        Richard Dawkins, in The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution (2004), writes on page 250 of the U.S. edition about the distinctive term "herp":

        <<Yet another informal grade name, favoured by American zoologists, is 'herp'.  Herpetology is the study of reptiles (except birds) and amphibians.  'Herp' is a rare kind of word: an abbreviation for which there is no long form.  A herp is simply the kind of animal studied by a herpetologist, and that is a pretty lame way to define an animal.  The only other name that comes close is the biblical 'creeping thing'.>>

        While there are abbreviations without long forms, such as Ms. and Mrs. (the latter originally but no longer an abbreviation for mistress), I take it that herp is something simpler and commoner:  a back-formation, probably from herpetology.  Google Groups has "herps" from 12/11/1989 and a reference to the "Chicago "Herp" Society" on 3/19/1986.

        Dawkins also introduces "concestor," his coinage for a common ancestor, used passim throughout the book.  We'll see if it catches on.

John Baker