The Definition of Centennial

In these days of souped-up cell phones and satellite technology, it’s hard to avoid taking the telephone for granted. But 100 years ago, when the word “telephone” first debuted, this product was considered so new that its entry in the dictionary was accompanied by an encyclopedic definition and a detailed illustration of how the contraption worked.

That same year, in 1898, another word made its debut: “hello.” It was a very rare variant on the commonly used greeting “halloo.”

Thinking the latter was too informal a salutation for a technology that was primarily used for business, telephone manufacturers insisted that “hello girls,” or operators, answer the phone with what they thought was a more refined greeting, thus the word “hello.”

This year, Merriam-Webster celebrates the 100-year anniversary of its “Collegiate Dictionary.” And while the number of words in the 1998 edition published in the fall has more than doubled (to 165,000 words and counting), the company’s president and publisher, John Morse, doesn’t think so much has changed, etymologically speaking, that is.

“It’s interesting the parallels between the 1890s and the 1990s,” Morse says. “They were going through tremendous technological change then, and we are now too.”

At least 25% of the words in this year’s edition derive from new technology, especially computers and the Internet. “Netiquette,” “newbie,” “chat room,” even the “World Wide Web,” are all making their dictionary debuts this year.

“Language is a direct reflection of what is happening societally,” Morse explains.

Merriam-Webster makes its decisions about what words to include in its editions by looking at books, magazines and newspapers that people are likely to be reading. Half of the company’s staff of 100 are employed as editors, and take part in a program called Reading and Marking, spending a portion of each day reading repair manuals, industry newsletters and anything else they can get their hands on to see what words are being used on a regular basis.

“The job of the ‘Collegiate’ is to provide information about uncommon words that show up in everyday situations,” Morse explains. “More technical or specialized vocabulary is being used than ever before, which means the job of the ‘Collegiate’ is getting more difficult.”

In addition to technology, he cites medicine as having a profound effect on the language. “Unlike 100 years ago, we have words for not just how to cure a disease, but how to pay for it.”

Biology and other sciences out-rank even youth culture, in terms of additions. “The dictionary can’t cover a lot of slang,” Morse says, “but we make a judicious insertion of [it].” No slang was added to the 1998 edition, though the verb “dis” was deemed worthy last year.

During the past century, Merriam-Webster has sold more than 50 million copies of its “Collegiate,” a boast no single author has yet been able to claim.

A few fun facts: “Set” is the word with the most meanings, with definitions “in the hundreds,” depending on its use as a noun, verb or adjective. The longest word in the dictionary is so long, people at the company just refer to it as P-48. The last word is “zyzzva” which means--what else?--the last word.