When all the evidence is gathered, the word makes its debut in the dictionary's new edition, and it becomes an official word. It can now take its place in the English language. At which point, editors about-face and make it one of their own. Now it is a protected species, to be guarded with their lives, because words are their coinage - and their weapons. Despite their vigilance, this word will go out in the world and be as maltreated as any other word. It will be misspelled, misunderstood, misprinted and misread. But it will never go missing.
For the dictionary is merely somewhere to stow all our words when we're not using them. And new words are continually being coined to define a shifting world where every fresh invention, fad or fashion needs a label.
No one knows where or how a word germinates. It is born on the whims of change and without fanfare, makes its debut in casual conversation. We give it a test run, and if it fits smoothly into sentences, it is picked up and passed along. As it gathers momentum, it is aired on radio, television and YouTube, and this further weakens people's immunity to it. But to make its mark, it must be seen as well as heard. And it starts its printed life in emails and texts, then infects websites, blogs, newspapers and magazines.
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