[Ads-l] Word: ovate

[Joel Berson]

Has anyone noticed that "ovate" v.1 sense 1 dates to 1638?!  And thus is presumably not a back-formation from "ovation", n. sense 3, which dates from 1785?
I concede that "ovate" sense 1 is trans., and is "to give (a person) an ovation; (of the public, an assembly, or other large group of people) to applaud or receive (a person) enthusiastically", which is not exactly the sense of Garson's quotation.  Rather, his is sense 2, intr.,To applaud enthusiastically" -- but even that is some decades older than UrbanDictionary's ten years, since it dates from 1977.
Joel     From: ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
 To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU 
 Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2015 9:01 AM
 Subject: [ADS-L] Word: ovate
   
ovate: back formation from ovation, apparently; the urban dictionary
entry is ten years old. Perhaps the hands should be cupped to form an
ovoid shape while clapping.

Source:  Variety
Title: Matthew McConaughey Sticks Up for Gus Van Sant's 'Sea of Trees' in Cannes
Author: Nick Vivarelli
http://variety.com/2015/film/festivals/matthew-mcconaughey-sticks-up-for-gus-van-sants-sea-of-trees-in-cannes-1201498433/
[Begin excerpt]
Asked about the negative reaction, McConaughey went a bit deadpan and
simply spouted: "Anyone has any right to either boo or ovate."
[End excerpt]

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ovate
[Begin excerpt]
ovate
A verb meaning to clap and cheer prividing ovation of course.
Stop stop, don't ovate...it's not over!
by Jamie May 27, 2004
[End excerpt]

Garson

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org



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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org