[Ads-l] "Jazz" Dating in Merriam-Webster

[Shapiro, Fred]

I have great respect for the quality of Merriam-Webster's lexicography.  But I am surprised to notice that their dating for the word "jazz" is 1913.  It has been 21 years since George Thompson unearthed "jazz" in 1912, the word is of the highest order of importance, and the 1912 occurrence has received a lot of publicity.

Fred Shapiro

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