Dating words?

[chessbot]

Although the noun "jot" (meaning the letter 'j' or specifically its dot), dates from 1526; the verb "jot...to make a short note of", derives also from the noun's eventual alternate meaning, "the least part of anything", and dates from 1721.

This was posted in a thread in the Wordplay forum. My question: how it is possible to absolutely date a word? What does the date refer to?

--Chessbot

There is a level of Hell reserved for probability theorists in which every monkey that types on a typewriter produces a Shakespearean sonnet.

 

[CajunCenturion]

It is not possible to absolutely date a word, unless you have direct evidence of the word's creation.

Usually, words are dated by their first known appearance in a published work.

Good Luck
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[MakeItSo]

Right! Like "Dude" for example... thread1256-966401
:-D

[blue]An eye for an eye only leaves the whole world blind. - "Mahatma" Mohandas K. Gandhi[/blue]

 

[CajunCenturion]

Just a second ago, I was looking at the thread list and saw the title 'Dating Words?'. In many languages, English not being one of them, nouns have gender associations which leads to entirely different context of 'dating words'.

Good Luck
--------------
To get the most from your Tek-Tips experience, please read FAQ181-2886
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

 

[chessbot]

Yes, I thought of that after I posted.

--Chessbot

There is a level of Hell reserved for probability theorists in which every monkey that types on a typewriter produces a Shakespearean sonnet.

 

[MakeItSo]

She: Are you hitting on me?
He: Sure, why not....


[blue]An eye for an eye only leaves the whole world blind. - "Mahatma" Mohandas K. Gandhi[/blue]