to password-protect

[Arnold Zwicky]

On Feb 22, 2012, at 11:13 AM, Jon Lighter wrote:

>
> "Password protect your home and mobile devices. Avoid exposing personal
> information that can be used by someone else for identity verification."
>
> Observe the lack of a hyphen.


i have a huge collection of back-formed two-part verbs. and they show considerable variation in punctuation (as separated, hyphenated, or solid).  there are some tendencies:

1. synthetic compounds (X + V-ing/-ed/-er) tend to be spelled with hyphens, and the hyphens are usually carried over to the back-formations ("fly-fish" from "fly-fishing" etc.)

2. compounds with abstract-N second elements are usually spelled separated, and that spelling is usually carried over to the back-formations ("gay marry" from "gay marriage", "recess appoint" from "recess appointment",  etc.)

3. back-formations that have been around for some time and are reasonably frequent tend to be spelled solid ("shoplift" etc.);

4. back-formations with polysyllabic first elements tend not to be spelled solid ("nation-build", "recess appoint")

5. BUT: many usage authorities and editors dislike hyphens in general on aesthetic grounds, so there is a tendency to eliminate hyphenated spellings in favor of separated or solid spellings.  (this tendency is noticeable in the periodic revisions of dictionaries.)

tendency 5 would favor "password protect" over "password-protect" (and tendency 4 would favor either of these over "passwordprotect").  as for tendencies 1 and 2, the prediction depends on whether the compound verb is derived from "password protection" (tendency 2) or "password-protected" (tendency 1); both are possible, and both spellings occur (in considerable numbers).

arnold

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