The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-15

compiled, the fact that the word did
not appear in the latest edition would
not be conclusive.
The English language is growing con-
tnually, and words and phrases are
being grated into the old stock which
would be meaningless to the people
whose use of the language or contact
with the people who speak it had
ceased several years ago. The concert
hall and the laboratory, the workshop
and the barroom, all contribute toward
the stock of new words. and science as
well as commerce gives rise to words
which in many instances reach the
dictionaries. But while this may be
true of many words, more live season
and then die. In order to determine
what shall be done with the new words
the dictionary makers allow them to
grow and ripen'' in cabinets made for
that purpose. These cabinets consist of
a series of boxes, one for each letter in
the alphabet, and into these boxes the
new words are placed, tOgether with
all matter pertaining to them, until
such time as a new or revised edition
of the dictionary is to be issued, and
then the accumulated novelties in the
way of words are carefully examined,
and those that are found worthy are
given a place in the new edition ana
become a part of the language.
The scientific publicat ions furnish
| much of the material for the word cab
| inets, but there are other and peculiar
sources. The man who delivers a lee
ture before a backWoods debating so
cety and who earns from his fellow
members the distinction of having
''coined" a word, usually sends tire
| word with the laudatory remark of his
townspeople to the dictionary maker
| the man who makes a new shoe polish,
| tooth wash skirt binding or machine
and invents a name to describe the
novelty makes efforts to advertise Lis
| invention by having the name become
a part of the dictionary, and the con-
| sequence is that the stock of that class
| of words is usually great Some or
| these trade words have become so pop
ular that they have been taken into the
| fold, but the makers of dictionaries are
skeptics, and must be fully convinced
| of the lasting qualities OF the word be-
| fore it is accepted.
| A striking example of this class is
| the name used for popular pyroxyline
! material. The word was copyrighted,
| out was so well known in business that
the dictionary people felt justified in
! giving it a place in their book. But
while some inventors would have been
pleased with this action, the pyroxyline
material patentees objected, on the
| ground that their compound was pat
ented, and should be fully described
and not cut off with a simple descrip-
ton Of common noun
| IF we give the word and its deritl-
tons and definitions just as those who
own the copyrights wish us to give
them,' said dictionary maker, there
would be no objection on their part, but
| our book would become an encyclo-
| pedia."
Then there are the people who invent
| dishes and wish to be immortalized in
the gastronomic world San Juan
steak Manila stew and Maine
| shortcake" are among the dishes
which the inventors wish to see incof-
| porated in the next edition of the die
tionary: and as to drinks there is hard
| ly a well known naval officer in the
| service after whom a cocktail, a smash
or a julep has not been named, and IN
describing it the writer usually re-
quests that mention should be made of
the fact that it was first brewed, con-
cocted or mixed by So-and- SO.
| The words which come from the
scientific world receive the most seri-
Gus consideration. and the number in
vented or formed last year is larger
than it has ever been before in ore
year. Surgery, pharmacy and chemis-
try, electricity and photography, have
all furnished new words, and while
these are DelnG ponuefeu Over DS titt
grave and serious student other words
of less serious import, which crept into
the language during the last II months
in a spirit of humor. slang or criticism,
are also being seriously considered.
The war gave rise to a number of
words which will undoubtedly find their
way into the dictionary. The recon-
centrado has become an American coll
onist, and the trocha figures in the Off
cial reports of the operations in Cuba.
The uniforms of an important part of
the United States army will be made of
khaki cloth from now on, and the word
will undoubtedly become a part of the
| language.
"One of the many slang words of the
year which seem destined to remain IN
the American English said word ex-
pert lis rubber Rubber as a noun is
nothing new, but the word rubber
neck as applied to an inquisitive per-
I son has become popular in the slang
world and has given rise to the verb
rubber