Browsing 96 entries:


I-eat-babies adj. 
Excesses to the point of invoking fear. Formed by compounding.
[compounding: I, eat, and babies]
"She was wearing I-eat-babies make up" -Martel freshman, on Fri Oct 31, 2003
Apparent meaning:an excessive amount to the point of being scary.


Iatrogenic adj. 
Induced inadvertently by a physician or surgeon or by medical treatment or diagnostic procedures. Formed by derivation.
[\I- a-tr&-'je-nik\ adj. [Greek iatros physician + English -genic] (1924)]
"Most of his ailments were iatrogenic." -Dr. Kemmer, on Sat Oct 1, 2005
We discussed this word in class, and I believe it was on one of our Morpheme Quizzes.


Ice n. 
Diamond jewelry. Formed by an unknown word formation process.
[ice. Metaphorical extension of ice 'solid water']
"Half the niggaz in the squad got a scar on their face. It's a cold world and this is ice Half a mill for the charm, nigga this is life." -A song by Terror Squad, on Tue Nov 30, 1999
Ice is used in a different context than ice as in frozen water. Often 'ice' is used to refer to diamonds because they glisten like ice and have the same color.


Ice n. 
Usually referring to diamonds or any expensive, flashy jewelry (necklaces, watches, rings); often used in conversation or song lyrics (‘he’s wearing a lot of ice’). Formed by analogy.
[metaphorical change.]
"I got ice all around my neck." -Rap music Radio Station, on Sun Nov 13, 2005
Diamonds have similar shape and flashy jewelry glistens like ice cubes (frozen water) and most often heard in rap/hip hop culture and music. They have been referred to as ice indirectly in another reference in the movie, "How to lose a guy in 10 days" as "Frost yourself with these diamonds." Frost is made of ice crystals and is therefore making an analogy between frost made of ice, which has similar properties of diamonds.


Ice n. 
Diamonds. Formed by analogy.
[Analogy of Ice to Diamonds]
"Ice on my fingers and my toes…" -Aqua Teen Hunger Force intro song, on Tue Nov 30, 1999
Apparently because diamonds resemble ice. Frequent rapper slang.


Ice n. 
In case of emergency; data to be used for emergency contact, especially emergency contact phone number in a cell phone. Formed by acronym.
[Acronym for In Case of Emergency]
"The idea is that you store the word I C E in your mobile Phone address book, and next to it enter the number of the person you would want to be contacted In Case of Emergency." -Chain E-mail message, on Tue Jul 19, 2005
This seems to be a fairly new acronym developed in an effort to define a standard title name to be used for emergency contact numbers on cell phones. It appears to be fairly new but is becoming widespread due to chain E-mails that have been circulated recommending that people create an entry in the cell phone contact list called ICE where they store a number to be called in case of an emergency. Evidence suggests the term may have been formed or at least popularized following the London train terrorist attacks in 2005.


Ice n. 
Jewelry. Formed by an unknown word formation process.
"Nelly swore he was wearing so much ice that he could not step into the sunlight for fear of melting." -, on an unattributed day.
Ice and jewelry, specifically, diamonds, are both clear and sparkle in light, so therefore the association was made to link the two. Usage gained popularity in late 90‘s.


Ice n. 
Jewelry, especially with sparkling gems. Formed by an unknown word formation process.
[This word has undergone metaphorical shift. The resemblance between sparkly jewelry and ICE is the reflective nature of ice. Originally, the shift of the meaning of ICE referred specifically to diamonds, but it now refers to essentially any jewelry, though is typically limited to jewelry with gems. This word has essentially undergone two shifts: one from ice (frozen water) to ice (diamonds), the second from ice (diamonds) to ice (jewelry). The first shift showed neither widening nor narrowing, instead replacing one meaning with another. Arguably, the first shift witnessed amelioration as diamonds are typically more desirable than ice. The second shift witnessed widening as the word changed from referring specifically to diamonds to the superset of diamonds, jewelry.]
""Dang, that lady has got some ice."" -Overheard at a restaurant, on an unattributed day.
Undefined.


Ice n. 
A piece of shiny jewelry, sometimes fake, used to be showy. Formed by zero derivation.
"You can't wear a diamond bellybutton ring until you hear a rap song about ice in the belly." -Kristen Kock, on Thu Oct 16, 2003
Apparent meaning:Diamonds or other shiny jewelry.


Ice v. 
To adorn with diamonds or similar glittery jewels. Formed by zero derivation.
[[Ice n. ‘Neologism for diamonds, originally a zero derivation from the meaning ‘frozen water’ due diamonds physical resemblance to ice’]]
"Give me your hand, let me ice that for you." -Lyrics: Lil’ Wayne - Shine, on Wed Sep 1, 2004
Apparent meaning: To cover with diamonds or jewelry. A verb form of the now common neologism of the same spelling that is synonymous with diamonds.


Ice-block v. 
To slide down a hill while sitting on a large block of ice. Formed by zero derivation.
[zero-derivation from the noun ‘ice-block’]
"Ice-blocking is the sledding of the South." -Conversation with friend, on Fri Nov 12, 2004
To slide down a hill while sitting on a large block of ice, typically done during hot summer weather as a means to cool off. The speaker probably chose to use zero-derivation because of the similar activity of sledding. Since the verb meaning ‘to ride on a sled’ is simply ‘to sled,’ it is logical to conclude that the verb meaning ‘to ride on an ice-block’ is ‘to ice-block.’.


Ice-cloaked adj. 
To be cloaked by ice; e.g. hidden inside or beneath the ice. Formed by compounding.
[from a compound of ICE and CLOAKED, derived from CLOAK]
"“he ice-cloaked Arctic Ocean was once apparently a warm, biologically brewing basin so rich in sinking organic material that some scientists examining fresh evidence pulled from a submerged ridge near the North Pole say the seabed may now hold significant" -Read in New York Times during breakfast on 11/30: ‘Under All That Ice, Maybe Oil’, on Tue Nov 30, 2004
This clearly means to be cloaked in ice, i.e. hidden beneath or blocked by the ice. It comes from compounding ICE (‘frozen water’) and CLOAKED (‘to be hidden’). Rather than saying “hidden underneath the ice” and be literarily redundant, ice-cloaked seems most apt. This is mostly because using the adjective ‘CLOAKED’ is a bit more descriptive and pointed than ‘hidden underneath,’ especially since the ice is being used as a cloak (sort of a word choice because of the metaphorical properties of the ice).


Icing n. 
This is a word that also means jewelry. Formed by derivation.
[comes from the pre-existing word icing, which was derived from the old english word, is (pronounced with a long i sound)]
"I saw icing as a way to make jewelry when I was walking through the mall and noticed a store called “The Icing”. Apparently, it’s a jewelry store that is run by the same company that owns Claire’s, which is also a jewelry store." -The Icing (jewelry store) at Town West Square Mall in Wichita, KS, on Tue Nov 30, 1999
This word and its new meaning is very similar to the word frosting that was previously mentioned. The word got its new meaning through use of a metaphor, just like the word frosting did. A lot of jewelry have a shimmering appearance in the same way that ice does. Also, the similar connection could be made that jewelry is bought to be worn or put on the body, just like icing is sometimes used to describe the action of putting something on top of something else (like icing a cake).


Icky adj. 
Bothering one’s conscience and good senses. Formed by back formation.
"It seemed icky to hang on to them." -“Naughty or Nice?”, on Mon Nov 29, 2004
The word ‘icky’ may refer to something offensive and bothersome in this context.


Icrap n. 
A piece of merchandise related to the Apple. Formed by blending and clipping.
[Mutation of the original trademark iPod]
"Buyers beware: Don’t buy any more iCrap, or the world is going to be very sorry." -Engadget.com, on Mon Jul 25, 2005
Apple has taken over the market with their mp3 player known as the iPod. After it became established as the predominant music player of the time, many accessories started coming out, calling themselves iCover, iSpeakers, iStand, iCharger. This fashion started to grow exponentially when absolutely anything related to the iPod had the i put in front of it. This grated the nerves of more than a few people, but nowhere near the levels that it grounded upon those who had never really had an enjoyment of Apple or its products. As such, they probably thought they were being clever when they referred to the iPod (and all its accessories) as iCrap. It is actually a rather catchy name, and so even people who really didn’t have any problems with Apple’s business practices began referring to iPods this way, either if they didn’t own one, or if the one they owned broke or failed to meet expectations in any way.


Idea Hamster n. 
A person who, with seemingly endless energy, always seems to have his/her idea generators running. Formed by compounding.
[From Middle English, from Latin, from Greek idein “to see” + German, from Middle High German hamastra, from Old High German hamustro, from Old Russian chomestoru “hamster,” from Avestan hamaEstar “oppressor”]
"One of the problems with smart people is they can be idea hamsters." -American Digest, on Mon Jul 14, 2003
The first metaphor in this category seems to be idea generator. To extend the metaphor to the people with all of the ideas, the term hamster was used in order to more effectively describe the fact that they keep going without stopping. This term is especially effective because it is accurately described by the animal in the term. This term can easily be used in many online classroom situations. Therefore, I believe the term is used most predominantly in the business and education communities.


Identity Theft n. 
Crime where a person steal not only someone's belongings, but also their identity when trying to use the stolen property. Formed by compounding.
"The new MasterCard commercials advertise advanced security features on their credit cards to protect against identity theft." -, on Sat Nov 30, 2002
Apparent meaning:the act of stealing someone's belongings and pretending to be them to enjoy what was stolen.


Idiot Box n. 
Television set. Formed by compounding.
[compound of IDIOT and BOX]
"2005-10-01" -My suitemate, on an unattributed day.
Refers to the well-known assertion that television has no educational value.


Idoru n. 
A young, pampered female Japanese pop icon who is featured in all kinds of media. (‘Vivian Hsu is an idoru.’). Formed by an unknown word formation process.
[Whole borrowing from Japanese. ; [From Japanese IDORU.]]
"You can be an idoru without having to think." -Wired, on Sun Nov 30, 1997
Interpretation of intended meaning An idoru is something that really does not exist in American culture. It refers to a young female Japanese pop culture icon. Presumed reason for coinage Since the word is a direct borrowing from Japanese, it has no component parts in English; it simply exists as a whole. I think it has recently come into the language because of an American fascination with Japanese culture in the 1990s. This word has existed in Japanese for some time, but it has only recently appeared in English. It is getting a lot of exposure as the title of William Gibson’s 1996 novel.


Iggiot n. 
A moron or idiot, no sense of surroundings, worthless, simply an ignorant person. Formed by blending and clipping.
[ig(norant) + (id)giot [d --> g/_g]]
"You iggiot! Those dishes don’t go there. Put them in the sink." -Cousin, on Sat May 28, 1994
The first person I every heard say this was my cousin. I knew right then she was calling me an idiot just by the sound but never fully comprehended its origin and meaning. After hearing it again when I got older I knew that this was a simple combination of the words ignorant and idiot, which I now know as a blending process. It is a simple word that is used normally by younger children not even in their teens because they are mostly likely told by their mothers not to call anyone an idiot. Instead they came up with a word that sounded very similar by putting together two words that have the same meaning, thus they are doubly emphasizing their point when they call someone an iggiot. It is also an example of assimilation because the d in idiot changes to a g when the words are compounded because g never comes after d in English words. Though children would not know this grammar rule, it came from the child’s innate ability to distinguish proper sounding words because if the d did not change the word would be extremely hard to pronounce.


Iglooize v. 
To wrap oneself up in blanket so that no body parts are exposed to the outside, creating the appearance of an igloo. Formed by derivation.
[Formed from the root 'igloo' by adding the verb ending '-ize']
"I'm going to go iglooize." -Friend, on an unattributed day.
She wanted to describe what she was going to do simply, rather than using a whole sentence, so she modified a word we all knew to suit her needs.


Iglooize v. 
To pull the covers around you in such a way that no body parts are showing, to create the appearance of being in an igloo. Formed by derivation.
[Formed from the root 'igloo' by adding the verb ending '-ize'.]
"I'm going to go iglooize." -Conversation with a friend about what she was going to do once she got back to the dorm, on an unattributed day.
She wanted to describe what she was going to do simply, rather than using a whole sentence, so she modified a word we all knew to suit her needs.


Igmo adj. 
Insulting term for a person with lower intelligence. Formed by clipping.
[clipping]
"Ahh, don’t even talk about that with me, you igmo." -A friend, on Sat Nov 26, 2005
I was teasing a friend about her feelings for a boy, and she jokingly called me an igmo, which is short for ignoramus. It is easy to see how this long, SAT style vocabulary word was shortened to sound “cool.” It also sounds smarter than calling someone stupid or dumb. I am not quite sure how the n changed to an m in the shortened version. When spoken quickly, the two sounds are very similar so perhaps the m sound flowed more easily. Also, the two letters can probably be used interchangeably since they are so similar.


Ignant adj. 
Synonymous with the term ignorant. Formed by clipping.
"“Man, that was plain ignant.” One of the hosts on a show on BET was talking about a mistake one of the rappers had made." -BET, on Sat Oct 1, 2005
This term is popular among African American slang; it is a shorter version of the word “ignorant.” The word came to be due to a mispronunciation of ignorant, and the altered spelling reflected this error. I am unsure as to whether or not “ignant” could be another level of ignorance.


Ignantest adj. 
The quality of being extremely crazy (in a positive way). Formed by an unknown word formation process.
[Formation by incorrect use of superlative form of ignorant]
"You are the ignantest person I have met." -The Real World reality show, on Tue Sep 28, 2004
In this context, the word most likely means crazy instead of unlearned or stupid. Slang way of saying the “most ignorant” and incorrect use of superlative formation of adjectives. It can also be used in a joking way as in “You are an ignant fool” with less negative connotation than is associated with calling a person ignorant. Apparently the difference in pronunciation shows whether the term is being used negatively or positively.


Ignoranus n. 
Blend of ignoramus and anus. Formed by blending.
[blend formed by ignoramus and anus]
"You are such an ignoranus.' Don’t you mean ignoramus? No, ignoranus: stupid and an asshole" -Conversation with a friend online, on Wed Oct 13, 2004
Used as a comical way of combining two different insults into one word.


Ilch adj. 
Total, all-encompassing. Formed by back formation.
[back formation of ZILCH]
"The children of the world have no heroic figure to emulate, so the future of mankind continues on its downward spiral into entropy and mass extinction until all that was once great about the human race lies buried in the primordial stew, to which we will" -Kevin Smith, 'The Flying Car', on Sat Nov 30, 2002
Apparent meaning:This word occurs in the middle of a long rant in which a smart-aleck character is trying to sound very profound, and the more educated words or novel formations he uses, the closer he gets to his goal.


Ill adj. 
Cool, awesome, hip, amazing or good. Formed by an unknown word formation process.
[Derivation by semantic shift, amelioration]
"This whole game is just, is based on how ill you are." -Heard on the TV show Yo MTV Raps!, the statement was made by a music rapper in an interview, on Wed Oct 19, 2005
Possible reason used: This word is very typical in the everyday language usage of African Americans. African Americans as a group are very adept at creative variation of words. This word is perhaps used to make a statement about how good a rapper’s abilities are, but in a way that signifies all the qualities of a good rapper in a succinct word. Instead of listing all the qualities that make up a good rapper, one word, ‘ill’ sums it up.


Ill adj. 
An expression of approval synonymous with the slang term “cool.”. Formed by clipping.
"A team was trying to get a group of people to go out into the streets and market a certain product. “We can get 60 people for tomorrow. That’s the illest! Mmmph, *mumbling* that’s ill.”" -A contestant on the show “The Apprentice”, on Tue Nov 29, 2005
By the way the contestant was using the expression as well as the enthusiasm he exposed, the word “ill” seems to be another way of saying, “That’s cool!” Ill, here, does not have a negative connotation, as in being sick. Instead, ill is a form of approval. My prediction is that the word must have been a clipping of the word “chill,” which can also mean “cool.” I have heard many of my friends express their emotions at pleasant news or situations with, “Yo, that’s chill!” On the other hand, it can also be a clipping of the word “skill” since I have heard it numerous times on the street basketball court. When a player shows up an opponent and finishes the basket, many players would agree that the move (or player) was “ill.”.


Ill adj. 
Slang term meaning cool or excellent. Formed by zero derivation.
[zero derivation, slang]
"That ride was ill!" -Friend, on Mon Oct 11, 2004
Possible reason used: Shuvro used this word because it seemed more original and less cliché than simply ‘cool’.


Illiana n. 
Blending of two state universities, the University of Indiana and the University of Illinois; it is used to jokingly refer to both teams' recent struggles on the football field. Formed by blending.
[Blending/Clipping of Ill(inois) and (Ind)iana]
"10. Illiana "I Think I’m In Love." In the grand tradition of U-L-U-Pick-em and Directional Michigan, Illinois and Indiana join forces to make the list." -Bottom 10 College Football Poll, ESPN.com, on Mon Nov 22, 2004
Both teams are in the same conference (Big Ten) and are both struggling. Throughout the year, the writers of the list have combined teams from the same area to add to the list when these teams struggle. Illiana is used to make light of two teams' similar struggles. Combination of the University of Indiana and Illinois football team, both of whom are struggling enough this year to be considered two of the worst teams in the country, hence making the list.


Illmatic adj. 
Cool, nice, impressive. Formed by blending and clipping.
[Blend of ILL and AUTOMATIC]
"Dude, that shit’s illmatic." -My roommate, on Tue Sep 27, 2005
Synonymous with cool, nice, impressive. Used in the same way the slang term ILL would be used. Its earliest known usage was as an album title by hip-hop artist Nas in 1994. For the album, it was probably used because the suffix -MATIC from AUTOMATIC was apparently used as a sort of trademark term by one of the album’s producers, DJ Premier.


Illuminanswer v. 
The process of suddenly discovering the solution to a problem (often used in reference to school work.). Formed by blending and clipping.
[illuminanswer. Clipping/Blend of illuminate 'to light up' and answer 'solution']
"" -A friend, on Tue Nov 30, 1999
It was used as a cute and clever description of the process of suddenly realizing the answer to a question or problem.


Im v. 
It means "intant message". Formed by acronym.
[Modern English, acronym for "instant message"]
"IM me later" -My friend on AOL instant messenger, on Wed Jul 14, 1999
In modern times, people are in such a hurry that they'll come up with acronyms for pretty much anything. People do it just to save time from typing out the entire phrase.


Im other. 
. Formed by acronym.
"" -, on Tue Nov 30, 1999


Im v. 
The act of talking to someone through Instant Messenger online. Formed by acronym.
"Dennis IMed me tonight to tell me about his good news." -School acquaintances, on Wed Aug 20, 1997


Im v. 
V.i. or v.t. to send an Instant Message via America OnlineTM or a similar Internet service [abbreviation of Instant Message]. Formed by acronym.
[morphemes from 'instant message' are no longer visible]
"My ex-boyfriend IMed me last night, but I just ignored him and logged off." -Conversation between Rice students, on Sat Nov 30, 1996
Interpretation of intended meaning to send an Instant Message via America OnlineTM or a similar Internet service; to initiate an Instant Message dialogue; to communicate via Instant Messages Presumed reason for coinage Internet lingo naturally lends itself to acronyms, and the long phrase Instant Message for a simple social act needed abbreviation. word has been in use at least since fall 1995.


Imed v. 
To send someone an Instant Message. Formed by clipping.
[“IM” (clipping for Instant Message) + “-ed”]
"I IMed Brian about it earlier." -Conversation with classmate, on Tue Nov 23, 2004
The abbreviation “IM” has become quite common in internet communication, especially among teenagers and college students. We refer to the electronic text messages that we send as an “IM” or as several “IMs.” Thus, it is logical that it should continue its derivation to extend to other parts of speech as well, and we can describe the act of sending an IM as the verb “IM,” which becomes “IMed.”.


Imho other. 
Phrase that indicates modesty about one's opinions, acronym for 'in my humble opinion'. Formed by acronym.
[acronym: in my humble opinion]
"Biology is much more interesting than math, imho.." -Conversation, on Thu Oct 2, 2003
Apparent meaning:In my humble opinion.


Imma other. 
Condensed form of “I am going to.”. Formed by an unknown word formation process.
[Contraction of the already contracted phrase “I’m gonna”]
"Imma be out this week." -Noah Liwag, on Fri Sep 9, 2005
Gonna is a common contraction, used especially in the Southern United States. The reason for its formation was likely to be because the word going in “going to” is almost always followed by to. Why have two separate words when the first is only used to precede the second? Thus, gonna was coined. In the same spirit, “I’m going to” is an increasingly popular phrase, and while I’m and going to can be used separately, to speakers using “I’m going to” frequently, there’s a strong motivation to extend the gonna contraction to encompass I’m as well – leading to imma. In some ways, this is a more educated person’s way of saying “Gonna be out this week” – grammatically incorrect since there’s no subject in the sentence – but used in African-American vernacular English, and lower social strata, fairly often. Imma includes a subject, and thus may escape these class connotations. Strangly, this word’s brevity is not necessary – one can easily use I’ll in place of imma! To do so makes the sentence short, grammatically correct, and with no overtones of linguistic laziness.


Impactor n. 
An object that impacts another object; a projectile. Formed by derivation.
[impactor. 'impact' + M.E. '-or' (noun suffix; one that performs a specified action)]
"Nobody's sure what will happen next. There's a small chance the impactor will blow the 2-½-mile-long comet to smithereens, or simply bore through it like a bullet through a snowball." -Http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002102807_comet28.html, on Tue Nov 30, 1999


Ince n. 
An instance, an example. Formed by clipping.
[The parent word, ‘instance,’ came from Old French instance, instant, and Medieval Latin instantia, example, through the Middle English instaunce. The O.F. and M.L. parents both came from the Latin word for presence, instans.]
"One gal who works the ladies' room at a more outdoorsy club down the street, for ince, was just bitchin' to me 'bout how cheap certain young starlets are." -Yahoo gossip column, on Thu Nov 24, 2005
‘Ince’ is a clipping of the parent word ‘instance.’ Its use does not add any meaning to the type of instance; connotations rather apply to the speaker. The use of the word suggests the slang of gossipers—young, or those paying attention to socialites. As there is no need for a new word denoting an instance, it further seems that it is a shibboleth of sorts, relating to the two groups named above.


Incentivise v. 
To make something an incentive or to make something appear attractive. Formed by derivation.
[incentive from Latin incinere 'to sound' + ise 'V']
"Stock options are used to incentivise making one’s best effort for the company." -Professor, on Tue Oct 4, 2005
In the context, stock options are offered to make employees want to work hard and do well. The professor used this because it is a concise way of getting his point across and he was stumbling for the right word to describe the process of wanting to make something attractive.


Incentivize v. 
To cause someone to want to do something. Formed by derivation.
[incentivize. from INCENTIVE (to encourage)]
"I offered her $5 to go to breakfast to INCENTIVIZE her into giving me the company." -A friend, on Mon Nov 15, 2004
Speaker was looking for a short way to say ‘give incentive to,’ or something along those lines. By attaching the ending –ize to the word, he comes up with a short and catchy way to convey his meaning.


Inch-o-technology n. 
The manipulation and control of matter at the inch scale. Formed by compounding.
[Inch-o-technology. Compound of 'inch' (a unit of measure' + 'o' + Greek 'technology']
"We certainly didn’t get very excited by ‘inch-o-technology.’" -Http://www.dfj.com/files/TranscendingMoore.pdf, on Wed Nov 24, 2004
This is a composition of inch, a unit of measure, and technology, a word stemming from the Greek technikos. An o, a vowel insertion, is placed inbetween the words to separate consonants, and in this case to bear resemblance to the word nanotechnology where there is also an o seemingly in the middle of the two separate words. Therefore, the ‘o’ inserted in between inch and technology is a being used as a tool to blend two words together.


Incredidork n. 
An exaggeration of someone who is exceptionally diligent. Formed by blending.
[Blending of the roots “incredible” and “dork.” incredible: ad. Latin "incredibilis"]
"I sit and study all the time… I’m an INCREDIDORK." -Conversation with friend, on Thu Nov 3, 2005
The use of blending in the word combines the ideas of "incredible" and "dork" to enhance the image of someone who is extremely productive that doesn't go out and have fun.


Indie adj. 
Artistic creations outside the commercial mainstream, without the support of a major record label, major movie studio, or other source of a large budget. Formed by clipping.
[Clipped from the word independent. From Latin in- + French dependant]
"These indie bands are intense!" -Friend, on Thu Jul 1, 2004
Ever the hipsters, teens and young adults love creating words for their independent lifestyles. When the new craze in the music and movie world became the ‘non-mainstream’ bands and directors, what better word could epitomize them than the word these teens craved for themselves, independent? Obviously, calling something independent was not as cool as shortening it, making it more hip. Thus independent was clipped, and indie became the word to describe these (now mainstream) non-mainstream bands and movies. The word didn’t come into popular usage until around 2003-2004, when huge hits such as Napoleon Dynamite became surprisingly trendy, almost overnight. That was when this neologism became the ‘brand name’ for this style. It also got applied to music, referring to those bands who didn’t use a big name production company yet still managed to get CDs out and circulated. This term has definitely broadened since it first started being used, as now it refers to almost anything non-mainstream. People can even live ‘indie lifestyles’. Ironically, the word is now starting to divide the group of people who created it. Those who like the indie scene see the word as a flag to rally to, while those who don’t care for it generally toss it around like a dirty word. If something isn’t good, then it is bound to be one of those damn indie creations.


Indie adj. 
Independent, but in a unique non-mainstream way. Formed by clipping.
[Derivation by clipping ‘inde-’ from the word ‘independent’ + a vowel insertion I between the letters D and E]
"An innovation influx from independent Gamers: A slideshow peek at his favorite indie offerings." -Title from an article in Business Week Nov 7, 2005, on Fri Nov 18, 2005
Possible reason used: Using ‘indie’ as opposed to ‘independent’ gives a sense of originality and forward thinking to the situational context. The word is used in this context to convey a sense that the products described in the article are unique and ‘outside the box’ of mainstream games. This term represents an object or idea that is not just separate from everything else, but is on a higher level of evolvement.


Indie adj. 
Out of the mainstream; not controlled by those in power in a social context. Formed by clipping.
[The original word, was recorded as entering English in 1611, from the root in, ‘not,’ and the French dependent, possibly from Middle French dependre. This word comes from the roots de and pend—to weigh or hang.]
"It's at this little indie pet store out in the suburbs that would be perfect for her to work at. So get prayin'/sendin'/whatever." -Xanga entry, on Tue Sep 27, 2005
Indie was first used in the 1920s to describe independent films, a clipping of ‘independent.’ By 1945, record companies had adopted the term; over the next forty years, it shifted to refer to a genre of popular music. After the turn of the century, its meaning again appears to be shifting, now referring to anything not controlled by major corporations or the majority in power—the clipping has thus been generalized. One might hypothesize the clipping itself is a metaphor for the groups’ desire to set itself apart—members of the independent group do not even use the more common parent word ‘independent.’.


Indipop n. 
Popular Indian music. Formed by blending.
[blending: 'indian', ADJ. + 'popular' (also shortened to 'pop') ADJ. -> indipop]
"I enjoy listening to indipop.." -Conversation, on Tue Sep 30, 2003
Apparent meaning:popular Indian music.


Inefficient n. 
A science and engineering major. Formed by analogy.
[inefficient = Latin in 'not' + Latin efficient 'from present participle: that which is making out well']
"We have been having some battles between the economics and the science and engineering majors on the fourth floor. In the battle they even came up with pejorations for each other's major. The economics majors call the science and engineering majors inef" -Will Miller, on Wed Dec 5, 2001
The person who made up inefficients was probably either trying to copy the person who made up suits and tried to point out science and engineers worst nightmare. It is also funny that from the parsing you could say an inefficient is somewhoe who desn't make out very well.


Infimany adj. 
Consisting of an infinite number of elements. Formed by blending.
[Blend of INFINITELY and MANY]
"There are infimany points in E whose distance from x is less than epsilon." -Math lecture, on Wed Sep 1, 2004
Possible reason used: There are expressions which come up over and over again in math, so teachers like to come up with faster ways of saying them.


Infinicionaire n. 
One whose wealth is nearly infinite. Formed by analogy.
[Analogy with millionaire [infinite + -ionaire]]
"Would you rather be a millionaire or an infinicionaire?" -MATH 102 Professor, on Sat Jan 1, 2000
This word was probably coined to convey the idea of unequaled wealth. The terms millionaire or billionaire seem ordinary and unimpressive nowadays. This necessitates creating the word 'infinicionaire' to express the idea of a person far wealthier than even a billionaire. Because this word was used by a calculus professor, it may have been inspired by the idea of limits in calculus. As a quantity gets larger and larger, it approaches infinity. Likewise, as a person gets wealthier and wealthier they approach the state of being an infinicionaire.


Infinitionaire n. 
Someone with an uncountably large (infinite) amount of money. Formed by analogy.
[infinit(y) x (mill)ionaire. Infinity, from Middle English infinit, from Old French, from Latin infinitus, from in- 'not' + finitus ‘finite’, from finis ‘end’. Millionaire, from French millionaire, from Old French million, from Italian millione, from Latin milli ‘thousand, thousandth’]
"Even a billionaire has a finite amount of money. But the question I am asking is, can someone become an infinitionaire?" -Professor Daniel Berend, on Tue Oct 18, 2005
A billion is a huge number, but to a mathematician trying to contrast very large finite numbers with truly infinite numbers, a billion was not enough. Professor Berend used money instead of numbers to illustrate this difference, and in the process, coined infinitionaire. Analogous to millionaire, and produced by blending, infinitionaire carries connotations of truly uncountable sums of money. The neologism probably was never needed in real life; a billionaire has, for all practical purposes, infinite wealth. But, in mathematics, finite and infinite numbers have drastically different mathematical properties and implications. By coining this neologism to explain series convergence (to a finite number) / divergence (to infinity), such a distinction was successfully made. Interestingly, milli originally meant ‘thousand’ – but the meaning somehow shifted to a ‘thousand thousand.’ The word is difficult and awkward to pronounce, probably since both blended components are borrowed (foreign) multimorphemic words – already a mouthful alone.


Infracool adj. 
Not cool, unappreciated. Formed by compounding.
[‘infra’ (below) + ‘cool’ (slang for excellent)]
"This homework is so infracool." -Conversation with Electrical Engineering student, on Wed Sep 15, 2004
As the speaker explained to me, “ultracool” means “very cool” because “ultra” means “beyond.” The prefix “infra” means “below,” as in “infrastructure,” so “infracool” means “below cool.” It seems to convey a stronger connotation of dislike then simply “un-cool.” The concept of taking an existing prefix/ root pair, and adding a prefix with a directly opposite meaning seems to be common in English( ie, microphone leads to megaphone).


Ink v. 
Moving around in a discreet manner. Formed by clipping.
[Clipping of the word ‘slink']
"Tiger (cat) was inking through the narrow passage." -My mom, on Sun Jan 23, 2005
Inking is used to describe a sly, smooth motion. It is similar to the word ‘slink’ because it is characterized by quiet, surreptitious movements. Often this term is used to describe the way in which a cat moves. 'Slink' comes from Middle English 'slinken' from Old English 'slincan'.


Innoculate other. 
When grading papers, to consider a student immune for penalty for a particular error because that student has already been penalized for the same type of error on the same problem. Formed by zero derivation.
[in(n) + ocul + ate]
"Discussing the grading of the A.P. calculus test with a grader. The person said that students are innoculated from putting the wrong number of places after the decimal point after they have done so once to avoid double and triple deductions for the same" -Conversation, on Mon Nov 1, 2004
Innoculation is when a person fights off an infection and becomes immune from the desease. This new meaning is an analagous extension (disease -> penalty on test).


Ins n. 
1. Income, money flowing to someone. Formed by clipping.
[From English income “money or its equivalent received” + s to convey idea that there are many sources of income]
"If this song takes away from my spins, then it probly take away from my ins." -Kanye West, “Jesus Walks”, on Thu Oct 20, 2005
Kanye rapped this in his song “Jesus Walks” to describe how, because he rapped about Christ in his songs, his record would not get played as much, thereby decreasing the amount he would get paid, i.e. his “ins.” The word was probably designed so to rhyme with “spins.”.


Inspirator n. 
A person who inspires others. Formed by derivation.
[inspire from Middle English enspiren, from Old French enspirer, from Latin inspirare; + -ator from Latin –ator 'acts in a specified manner'.]
"He is an inspirator." -Snoop Dog from Fox News Channel, on Mon Nov 21, 2005
This word was spoken by Snoop Dog during the Fox News Channel coverage of the pending execution of Stanley Williams. In context the word is used as a term of respect. An “inspirator” is a person who has inspired others, presumably in a positive way. Normally I would say this type of derivation is short lived and circumstance-specific, but because of Snoop Dog’s position and the fact that it was said on national television, I feel that this word has a fighting chance of becoming popular. I doubt it will be in the dictionaries next year, but it has a decent chance of showing up in slang.


Intarweb n. 
A sarcastic and often mocking term used for the world wide connection of computers commonly known as the internet. The term is meant to convey a connotation of ignorance. Formed by folk etymology.
[[Intentional mispronunciation/misspelling of 'interweb', a blend/confusion of 'internet 'and 'world wide web']]
"“My computer machine is on the intarweb.”" -Conversation with friend, on Mon Sep 13, 2004
The speaker was trying to convey information about an ignorant computer user who often mixed up terms or gave information that was completely unhelpful. This sarcastic formation was used in a phrase designed to help demonstrate the subject's ignorance. It derives its sarcastic connotation by the confusion of these two terms, which is possibly an attempt to mock new computer users' tendency to confuse terms due to their lack of knowledge. The misspelling also adds to the idea of ignorance contained in the word. Intentional mispronunciation/misspelling of 'interweb', which itself is a blend/confusion of 'internet' and 'world wide web', both terms for the worldwide network of computers. The blend and the misspelling are both meant to convey ignorance of computers so that the term is mocking.


Intarweb n. 
A common name for the internet often used in sarcastic or mocking purposes. Formed by blending.
[blend of ‘internet’ + ‘web’]
"Oh no your computer broke? How will you get on the intarweb?" -Friend, on Sun Oct 3, 2004
Reason used: Intarweb is used to poke fun at people who don’t know how to use computers very well. The spelling is changed to match the pronunciation, which is used to poke fun at people who have a Southern accent who may not be very exposed to technology.


Integize v. 
To move on in a problem and begin to solve it numerically after a lapse in progress has been overcome. Formed by analogy.
[analogy from ‘Integer’, with the suffix ‘ize’. Rhyming with the more common word ‘Energize’]
"We’ve got the equation set up… Let’s integize" -Study session for cellular engineering, on Tue Nov 2, 2004
Used to sound nerdy.


Integralize v. 
To integrate a mathematical function. Formed by derivation.
[Eng. integral ("Come on, Jim! Let’s integralize this function too!" -Roommate, on Tue Nov 30, 1999
Like ‘derivatize,’ another neologism discussed, INTEGRALIZE has a light-hearted feel to it. It is pretty clearly a combination of INTEGRAL and –IZE. Instead of using the word ‘integrate,’ he used a different verb forming suffix. My roommate was just looking for a funny way to describe a mathematical process. This improved his attitude toward the assignment, which was important because the problem set was both difficult and uninteresting. This word was also used because it so much resembled a previously coined word, ‘derivatize.’.


Integralize v. 
To integrate a function. Formed by back formation.
[integral- +ize]
"Just like you derivatize something, you can integralize it as well." -Conversation, on Wed Oct 29, 2003
Apparent meaning:Similar to derivatize, integralize simply means to integrate a function. While integrate is not as radical a formation as differentiate, it still follows to use the same verb forming suffix as in derivatize. This term was coined to follow the pattern of forming complex technical terms more easily.


Intel adj. 
Related to the gathering of information. Formed by clipping.
[Clipping of ‘intelligence’]
"The various intel budgets." -Time magazine, on Mon Nov 1, 2004
Reason used: It is a shortened but still understandable version of “intelligence.” It also sounds like lingo, which makes the article author sound more knowledgeable and in the in-group.


Intense adj. 
Over-eager and overly enthusiastic about a pursuit or subject, esp. when that thing should seemingly be trivial or unimportant. Formed by zero derivation.
[Zero derivation from existing word "intense"]
"Wag kang intense, boy! (Don’t be intense, boy!)" -Slang used in the Philippines by teenagers who are mainly English-speakers, on Sat Jan 1, 2000
A description (bearing a very negative connotation) of someone who puts too much time, effort or emotion into any pursuit (especially schoolwork). But it is used even more frequently – but not exclusively – when the said pursuit is something seemingly inconsequential or something that is not perceived as being “cool” i.e. trading card games, certain video games, etc. INTENSIFIED is also used in this context. Probably derived from the common usage of the word which evolved and became used more and more often to relate to this one particular scenario.


Intentionality n. 
The desire to show intention. Formed by derivation.
[Inflectional derivation of the adj. intentional]
"That shows intentionality." -Friend, on Sat Oct 1, 2005
The idea behind the use of this word was to indicate that the speaker believed that the person being discussed intended to show intent with his choice of words. As the previous phrase illustrates, an explanation involving the intent to intend gets to be fairly convoluted. My friend neatly avoided the confusion involved in such a situation by coining the word “intentionality.”.


Intergenderfication n. 
Mixing of men and women, specifically arranging them in order to prevent gender segregation. Formed by derivation.
[INTER- + GENDER + -FY + -CAT [-ATE] + -ION]
"Can we get some intergenderfication in our rows, please" -Rice Philharmonics music director, on Tue Nov 4, 2003
Apparent meaning:Once again, a young adult creates the illusion of erudition by using multiple affixes, this time for the sake of humor as much as practicality.


Internet v. 
To use or connect to the Internet. Formed by zero derivation.
[from Latin inter ‘between, among’ + net (ME, from OE)]
"A Better Way to Internet" -A commercial for San Francisco-based People PC Online, on Tue Oct 11, 2005
While changing the usage of a word as important as Internet might catch the viewer’s/listener’s attention, it doesn’t convince me that the company is intellectual. Instead, I see in my mind’s eye a company full of people who use AOL and argue in chat rooms rather than people who spend their time coding new extensions for Firefox’s trendy Mozilla browser. (I’m not completely sure why this word usage appears this way, but it’s probably because most technological terms are used as shibboleths to determine a person’s computer expertise, and using one incorrectly doesn’t convey technological know-how. Creating new words, on the other hand, does.) It doesn’t help their case that they advertise based on price, not features or usability: the largest line of text on their home page (http://www.peoplepc.com/) prominently flaunts “$5.47” – the price per month, at least until their promotion runs out. I suppose, however, that their slogan is still better than the out-of-date slang of “A Better Way to Surf the Web” or the frumpy “A Better Way to Get Online” would be.


Internets n. 
The Internet. Formed by derivation.
[Pluralization of “Internet”]
"I hear there’s rumors on the internets." -US Presidential Debates, second debate; [Video: http://www.jokaroo.com/ecards/funny/bushinternets.html], on an unattributed day.
US Presidential Debates, second debate on 2004-10-08. President Bush said “I hear there’s rumors on the internets”. [Video: http://www.jokaroo.com/ecards/funny/bushinternets.html] It is obvious he meant to use the word “Internet”, but people find it hilarious he made a speech error of that sort (a Bushism, which is its own new linguistic word!). As a result, many of my friends have in reference to the Internet, jokingly called it “the internets”. His blunder has become a sort of Internet pop culture joke, and many web pages can be found on the topic if one searches for “Bush internets” on Google.


Internot n. 
A person who refuses to use the Internet. Formed by blending and clipping.
[blend and clipping: inter(internet) + not]
"He never use internet. What a internot." -Roommate, on Tue Oct 1, 2002
Internot sounds pretty funny. Only one letter is different from the origin word internet.


Interquel n. 
A television production that dramatizes a story lying temporally between the story in the original production and that of its sequel. Formed by analogy.
[Analogical formation from model word sequel, first extension prequel via recutting to form new morpheme quel; then prefixed with inter- 'between']
"Having written and filmed a "Lonesome Dove" sequel and prequel, come about 1997 Mr. McMurtry plans to finish an interquel "Comanche Moon," about his heroes' prime adulthood." -New York Times, on Sun May 12, 1996


Interweb n. 
A sarcastic or humorous synonym for the internet. Formed by blending and clipping.
[Blending and clipping of internet and web. [interweb: inter- + web (< ME < OE)]]
"Look it up on the interweb." -Conversation with friend, on Tue Nov 1, 2005
Interweb is a word sometimes used by experienced computer users to parody other less knowledgeable users of the internet. The blending of the words 'internet' and 'world wide web' is done to humorously imitate the confusion displayed by the average person towards technology. The term is used mainly to refer to the internet in a sarcastic manner. To stress the sarcasm, sometimes the word is spelled as intarweb and pronounced with a greater stress on the second syllable. This deliberate mispronunciation serves to enhance the ridiculousness of the word. This word is used exclusively by computer geeks and experienced internet users, and can be considered a shibboleth of this community.


Intoxilyzer n. 
A device that analyzes a person’s level of intoxication. Formed by blending and clipping.
[Clipping/Blending of intox(ication) + (ana)lyze + -er 'noun']
"The Intoxilyzer 5000 is determines one’s level of intoxication." -Houston Chronicle, on Sat Oct 1, 2005
This word was coined to be the name of the device as a marketable product, appealing to consumers such as city governments, and therefore had to sound very electronic and futuristic.


Intraprocedural adj. 
During a procedure; in between breaks in a procedure. Formed by derivation.
[Formed by adding prefix intra- to procedural]
"Most analysis is only intra-procedural." -Said by a professor in a lecture in one of my courses, on Tue Aug 31, 2004


Inversible adj. 
Invertible, can find the inverse of. Formed by analogy.
[‘inverse’ (the mathematical opposite) + ‘ible’ (adjective suffix)]
"We can only use this method when the matrix is inversible." -Electrical Engineering classmate, on Mon Sep 27, 2004
The speaker seemed to be focusing on the desired noun form (inverse), adding only the suffix ‘-ible’ to make it into an adjective describing a matrix. Even though the existing word “invertible” would have been more-correct, the other people present, with our knowledge of the word “inverse,” clearly understood the speaker’s intent.


Investopedia n. 
A dictionary specializing in investing terms. Formed by blending.
[A blend of the English words investment and encyclopedia.]
"Try the investpedia." -Asked my friend how named David what the best way to study was. He said I should know financial terms.., on an unattributed day.
I was getting ready for my upcoming interview with various financial institutions, and I asked my friend how named David what the best way to study was. He said I should know financial terms, and I should, “try the investpedia.” It turns out that there is a web site called investopdia.com.


Iono other. 
I don’t know. Formed by blending and clipping.
[abbreviation, blending and clipping]
"Me: Are you going to the study session for chemistry? friend: Iono" -Online conversation with a friend, on Tue Nov 8, 2005
Internet abbreviation for “I don’t know.” As we get lazier and lazier about typing complete words, or heaven forbid, sentences, online speak becomes just the basic sounds needed to simulate words or phrases. First, I don’t know was simplified to “I dunno,” which is a written form of the way the phrase is pronounced when speaking quickly. As speech deforms even more, the d sound in dunno also disappears and we are left with “Iono.”.


Ipod n. 
An mp3 player made by Macintosh, but has been so ubiquitously accepted into mainstream culture that it is now synonymous with portable music player, mp3 player. Formed by compounding.
[iPod. Compound of 'I' (singular pronoun) + 'pod' (streamline external housing)]
"What music do you have on your iPod?” “This isn’t an iPod." -A friend, on Tue Nov 30, 1999
An example of synecdoche, iPod has proliferated so much and consumed enough of the market share of mp3 player that it is now synonymous with the type of device and not just with a particular brand’s device.


Iraqification n. 
The process of controlled supervision of government reconstruction based on the formula used in Iraq. Formed by compounding.
[IRAQ + -IFI [-IFY] + -CAT [-ATE] + -ION]
"Everyone seems to be in favor of Iraqification." -Newsweek, on Mon Nov 10, 2003
Apparent meaning:This word appears much more commonly that what would appear to be its predecessor, IRAQIFY. The act of Iraqifying, however, follows the same linguistic pattern of suffixation that we use with other -IFY verbs and their related acts: FORTIFY and FORTIFICATION, TRANSMOGRIFY and TRANSMOGRIFICATION, etc.


Iraqification n. 
Transfer of power to the people of Iraq. Formed by derivation.
['iraq' + -'ify' V. + -'cate' V. + -'ion' N.]]
"Iraqification a losing strategy" -Title of an article on the current war in Iraq on MSNBC, on Tue Nov 11, 2003
Apparent meaning:Giving power to the Iraqi people.


Ironeous adj. 
Not being an acceptable use of the word irony or ironic. Formed by blending.
[Blend formed from irony and erroneous]
"His use of the word irony was ironeous." -Former roommate, on Tue Nov 30, 1999
This is clearly a blend, but the formation has been designed so that this new word would resemble the word erroneous and therefore carry with it the connotations that the older word picked up over its long life. Like most blends, an attempt to parse into morphemes renders nonsense. Probable reason used: Clever wordplay to mock those whom the speaker perceives as not having very refined English skills.


Ironical adj. 
Ironic. Formed by derivation.
[Ironical, adj [ironic + -al]]
"You’re being ironical." -The movie Good Will Hunting, released 1997, on Sat Nov 30, 1996
Derivation of existing adjective ironic + -al (adj). In the context of the movie, the character’s usage of the word ironical was itself ironic (the way he was speaking made it funny). Thus, this choice of word (as opposed to ironic) made the delivery of the joke in the movie funnier.


Irony-drenched adj. 
To be drenched in irony, i.e. exhibit large amounts of literary irony (comical or not). Formed by compounding.
[from a compound of IRONY and DRENCHED, derived from DRENCH]
"The quick-witted women know each other so well that they seem to speak in their own irony-drenched language." -New York Times during breakfast: ‘Sexual Tension Along the Jersey Shore’, on Mon Nov 29, 2004
Rather than say “contains a lot of literary irony” for the play, irony-drenched seems to be a most apt, concise and poignant way to get the message across. The use of the word DRENCH really hard hits the point that there is an abundance of irony. This clearly means to be exhibit large amounts of irony. It comes from a compounding of IRONY (‘the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning’) and DRENCHED (past tense ‘to soak or immerse completely in’).


Irritainment n. 
Entertainment and media spectacles that are both annoying and compulsively watchable, e.g. professional wrestling. Formed by blending.
[From Latin irritatus, from irritare + from Middle English entertinen, from Middle French entretenir, from Medieval Latin intertenre, from entre- “inter-,” from Latin inter “among” + tenir “to hold” + Latin –ment¬ [noun]]
"The list is “dedicated to the pursuit of sloth and irritainment,” it says, and of course, so are we." -“Online Grapevine” from Computer Shopper, on Tue Aug 1, 1995
This word seems to have been coined from eatatainment, which was used to describe the food at the Minnesota State Fair. Irritainment is an exceptional word because it can be used very frequently in our world today. We’re surrounded by so much junk in the media that this term can probably be used to describe half of it. Because the word is a blend of irritate and entertainment, it is frequently used by all speech communities.


Irsay v. 
To relocate a sports franchise from a city for purely monetary reasons, as was done by the late Baltimore Colts owner Bob Irsay (who moved the team to Indianapolis). Formed by an unknown word formation process.
[metonymy; formed from Irsay, the Baltimore Colts owner's surname]
"The Baltimore Orioles had been America's most sensational team in the 19th century, but in the fall of '02 the franchise was Irsayed to New York, becoming the Highlanders (although they would subsequently earn somewhat more renown as the Yankees)." -Sports Illustrated, vol. 99, no. 8 p. 43, on Mon Sep 1, 2003
Apparent meaning:: To relocate a sports franchise to another city for monetary gains.


Ish adj. 
Somewhat, not really. Formed by clipping.
[Clipped from words that end in ish.]
"That class was interesting-ish." -Conversation with friend, Chris Yee, on an unattributed day.
Used in conjuction with another adjective; something that is only somewhat characterized by that other adjective. Added effect when said after stating an opinion about something. Funnier than saying somewhat.


Islamofascism n. 
Term to describe the practice of radical Islam, of which its acts are akin to fascism. Formed by compounding.
[Islam from Syriac aslem 'to make peace, surrender' + o 'linker' + fascism from Italian fascismo from fascio 'group' from Latin fascis 'bundle']
"We, the people, are not accepting the fact that the war against Islamofascism will require great sacrifice on our parts." -Foxnews.com, on Mon Nov 21, 2005
A political commentator on Fox News was expressing his strong opinion against the practice of extremist violent Islam. He is known for becoming very worked up and coined this word to describe a type of religious practitioner he disagrees with. I believe he compares these activities with Fascism because of Fascism's usual suppression of the group's opposition through terror and the belligerent or violent nature of the group.


Isoenergetic n. 
Having the same energy, being of the same energy level. Formed by derivation.
[isoenergetic. Greek 'iso' (equal) + 'energeia' (energy) + 'ic'(of or relation to)]
"These atomic shells are isoenergetic." -A professor, on Tue Nov 30, 1999


Isolatable adj. 
. Formed by an unknown word formation process.
[The morpheme -ble means 'able to be done' and is attached to the word isolate. The 'e' turns into an 'a' like expected from common allomorphic changes, and the new morpheme creates a new meaning to a common word.]
"Dude, I don’t even think that is isolatable." -Drew Bryant, on Sat Nov 13, 2004
I don’t know why this word was used, but likely because it fit the form of so many other words that add –able to describe their ability. Likely, the word just fit the preconceived idea of a linguistic pattern.


Italianicity n. 
All the possible properties of what is Italian. Formed by derivation.
[Italian + ic (adj) + ity "condition or state of']
"" -Barthes- "The Rhetoric of the Image, on an unattributed day.
Interpretation of intended meaning "the condensed essence of everything tha could be Italian"- all the possibilities of being Italian.


Italyness n. 
The experiences that are related to visiting the country of Italy. Formed by an unknown word formation process.
[Formed from combining Italy + -ness (a noun forming suffix).]
"When trying to decide on where to go for Spring Break next year, my friend decided that she could definitely use some Italyness." -, on Fri Oct 1, 2004
Apparent meaning: experiences related to visiting Italy reason used: My friend was quite excited after finally deciding on where to go so she decided to celebrate by creating a new word. She probably used this word to convey all the benefits that the country had to offer.


Item n. 
Someone or something with attractive and/or desirable characteristics. Formed by zero derivation.
[Zero derivation]
"That car is an item." -A classmate, on Wed Sep 1, 2004
Possible reason used: ITEM in its new sense is becoming more popular daily. The speaker probably wanted to be brief and show off his knowledge of slang. Any new word that enters the slang vocabulary is used extensively until it becomes a little old. Dictionary entry: Item, N. (‘You are an item- smart, beautiful, and independent.’).


Itk n. 
: Translates to “I too know.” A word used to describe an extremely focused and studious student who is often annoying. He or she usually takes immense pride in showing off knowledge by constantly answering questions and giving explanations unnecessarily. Formed by analogy.
[It is a popular Nigerian slang, similar to OMG and translates to “I too know.”]
"“She is such an ITK, I can’t stand her!”" -A friend, on Mon Sep 20, 2010
ITK is used the same way OMG is used in the U.S. It is a popular Nigerian slang that stands for “I too know.” It is used in referring to an extremely annoying person who takes pride in showing off knowledge unnecessarily especially in the class room. It can also be used as a verb, as one can say “Mary needs to stop ITKing before I lose all my respect for her.” ITK is used mostly by teenagers but since it has been in Nigerian English for a long time, most adults or older people even if they don’t use it know what it means or stands for.


Ito'd v. 
To get hit on the head, especially with a TV crew's boom microphone. Formed by an unknown word formation process.
[Lingo used by journalists covering the O.J. Simpson Civil Trial.]
"Lingo used by journalists covering the O.J. Simpson Civil Trial." -Newsweek, on an unattributed day.


Ittywitty i. 
Used to express farewell. Formed by acronym.
[Acronym of ‘I’ll talk to you when I talk to you’]
"Okay, well ittywitty!" -Ending a conversation online with a friend, on Sat Nov 6, 2004
Reason used: It’s a catchy new alternative to the overused “ttyl” (talk to you later) in online chats, and it also sounds interesting when said out loud.