Lexicography 101

Hey Steph,
  Welcome to Lexicography 101--the practice of defining words! I feel like I live a good portion of my life within the 8 point font of dictionary definitions. My master's thesis requires a lot of time in the hallowed pages of Webster's magnum opus. For the most part, this is one of the most boring things you could do with your time, but there are a few instances that get me excited in the glimmer of our language. These glimmers are the focus of this lexicography lesson today.

But first a sweet, Sherlockian story about dictionaries--and it's true! In April 1898, the Merriam-Webster offices received a telegram from Bridgetown, Barbados. The telegram read:

page 1543 third column count down 22 page 1377 third column count four Barbados page 1501 third column count four page 911 column three count 12 page 637 count 31 third column page 982 count 17 first column page 761 first column count 15

This cryptic message meant nothing to the desk-dwelling editors, but they pulled down the newest dictionary (1890) but found no meaningful message. They repeated the process in the 1884 and the 1879 edition. No success. And then they dragged out the 1864 whopper of a dictionary. Success! Herein lies your first homework assignment: click this link and use the 1864 dictionary to figure out the answer yourself. Your only hint is that Barbados was battling with Spain at the time. Go ahead and check it out, and leave your answers in the comment box below.

Within the dictionary are a lot of boring words like the and apple. But there's a lot of really interesting words that wow you with their odd spellings or interesting meanings. Here's ten to get you started in the fascinating world of lexicography, taken straight out of the 1864 Merriam-Webster dictionary.


buck: v. (Mining.) to break up or pulverize, as orcs

Yes, m'Lord. Who knew that 80 years before Lord of the Rings and 130 years before Warcraft there were orcs pulverizing in mines! Source

calipee: n. that part of the turtle that belongs to the lower shell, containing a gelatinous substance of a light yellowish color

So apparently, calipee is a delicacy made from the fleshy inside of the turtle. I figure you'd just want a picture of a sea turtle. Source

dulciloquy: n. a soft manner of speaking

Can you imagine if Hamlet simultaneously delivered a soliloquy and a dulciloquy? That would be intense. Source. 

dzyggetai: n. the Equus hemionus, a small Tartarian horse, of the size between the horse and the ass

Since I don't know what Tartarian means (ok, I looked it up: Tartar is a region southwest of Russia), here's a picture. Source.

gyve: n. A shackle, especially one to confine the legs; a fetter
         v. to fetter; to shackle; to chain

This one made me happy because it is an example of my thesis research: verbs that were originally nouns. Source

hallage: n. toll paid for goods sold in a hall

Apparently, this is a term for an Old English law. I feel like it has to do something with Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Source

mett: v. to think during sleep; to dream [Obsolete]

This word shouldn't be obsolete. Too much to think about while asleep. Source

pyxidium: n. a pod which divides circularly into an upper and lower half, of which the former acts as a king of lid, as the pimpernel

Pimpernel! Ok, so I'm not sure how the Scarlet Pimpernel flower has anything to do with this, but that's what the definition says, and dictionaries never lie. Source

stee: n. a ladder [Obsolete]

Also a good name for a member of a boy band. Source

virose: adj. having a nauseous odor; poisonous

Finally, some love for the adjectives out there. I'm thinking there's a connection between virose and virus. What do you think? Source

Bonus: gaol: n. a place of confinement or safe keeping of persons legally committed to it for crime, or of persons committed for trial or for failure to recognize in criminal cases, or for contempt of court, and of others in the legal custody of the sheriff or other officer of the law; a prison.
[That's right, kids. Next time your bored of using the word jail just switch it out for the alternate spelling of gaol.]


Don't forget to turn your homework assignment.

Cheers,

Amanda