[Ads-l] Made up words

[MULLINS, WILLIAM D (Bill) CIV USARMY RDECOM AMRDEC (US)]

> 
> Are you only looking for words that were created for works of fiction and subsequently entered the language, either through extension
> (e.g., "jeep," a fairly remote extension) or because the thing described by the word is itself worthy of a dictionary entry (e.g., "quidditch")?
> Or are you also looking for made-up words like "scofflaw" that were not created for works of fiction?

Both, I suppose.  The forum that I found the article at has several commenters speaking about made up words, and I wanted to provide examples to show that it really isn't that big of a deal.  
Fictional places and things are the most obvious source.  But nearly all of the OED entries for such things are for words that have taken a figurative meaning beyond their specific meanings in their respective fictional sources.

But, compound words, even if specifically made up like "scofflaw" (or Superman, to note Garson's post), which have a meaning obviously extended from their component words, don't seem at all novel in this context; likewise many portmanteau words.    But "blatant" (also from Garson's post) is an excellent example.

One commenter has pointed out that all words are made up, if you go back far enough into the etymology.  Can't argue with that, but I hope my examples show what I'm seeking better than a formal definition.

Add to the list:
Grok
Svengali
Droog
triffid
Ansible
Kleenex
waldo


And using OED "advance search" for "invented word" or "proprietary" in the etymology field gives a number of good candidates:


Chyron
Dalek
Moxie
pyrex
scrunchie (hair band)
shazam
shmoo
skype
slan, slanshack
sylphon
xerox


> 
> 
> John Baker
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [Caution-mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of MULLINS, WILLIAM D (Bill) CIV USARMY
> RDECOM AMRDEC (US)
> Sent: Monday, April 17, 2017 1:59 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Made up words
> 
> A forum I read noted this article:
> 
> Cahttp://www.ibtimes.co.uk/quidditch-potterhead-could-make-their-way-into-oxford-english-dictionary-1616972
> 
> and commented on OED editor Charlotte Buxton's statement " It's fairly unusual for a made-up word to get in."
> 
> Strictly speaking, I suppose this is true.  But it does happen:
> 
> Kryptonite
> Jabberwocky
> Unobtanium
> Jeep
> Vulcan (in the sense referring to Spock) Lilliput, Lilliputian Brobdingnag, Brobdingnagian Oz Xanadu Shangri La Carbonite (Star Wars sense)
> Impervium (from Buck Rogers) Widget
> 
> 
> Can you suggest others?
> 


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