Learn How to Pronounce dord | YouPronounce.it
How to Pronounce dord
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Meaning and Context
The term dord stands as one of the most famous and celebrated lexicographical errors in publishing history, a quintessential ghost word that achieved the status of a legitimate dictionary entry. It originated in the 1934 second edition of Webster's New International Dictionary, where it was erroneously defined as a synonym for density in physics or chemistry. The error occurred when a slip of paper marked "D or d," an internal notation signifying that the abbreviations for density could use either an uppercase or lowercase 'D,' was misinterpreted by editors as the single word "dord." This dictionary ghost word thus slipped into print, lacking a pronunciation guide or an etymological note, hallmarks of a true lexical entry, and remained for five years before being excised. The story of dord is now a staple anecdote in lexicography, illustrating the fallible human processes behind authoritative reference works and serving as a cautionary tale for editors. It is frequently cited alongside other famous errors like "phantomnation" and "esquivalience" in discussions about the integrity of the dictionary compilation process and the fascinating phenomenon of accidental neologisms.
Common Mistakes and Alternative Spellings
As a fabricated term born from a clerical misreading, "dord" has no legitimate alternative spellings. However, common typos and errors related to the word often involve confusion with similar-sounding or similarly structured terms. It is frequently misspelled as "dorde" (adding an unnecessary silent 'e'), "dordd" (doubling the final consonant), or "dordt". Given its phonetic simplicity, it is sometimes incorrectly written as "dord" but pronounced to rhyme with "lord," though its accepted pronunciation, post-hoc, is typically /dɔːrd/. A more significant error is conflating "dord" with actual scientific terms like "dord" as a variant of "dourd" (an obsolete word meaning dull), though this is unrelated. Searches for the term are also often plagued by the original notation that created it, leading to queries for "D or d" or "D and d" which may not yield the intended historical anecdote.
Example Sentences
Lexicographers often recount the tale of dord as a humorous yet instructive example of how a simple clerical error can become enshrined in a major reference work.
The discovery of the ghost word dord in the 1934 Webster's dictionary prompted a thorough review of the editorial process to prevent similar mistakes.
In a lecture on semantic drift, the professor used dord to illustrate how a non-word can gain a semblance of legitimacy purely through institutional authority.
While writing her thesis on publishing errors, she dedicated an entire chapter to the cultural afterlife of dord in linguistic folklore.
You won't find dord in any modern dictionary, but its story is a permanent fixture in the history of lexicography.