Popular Words Invented by Authors | Otherwords

Authors often create words just for a one-time usage... but a special few will gain traction and become full-fledged parts of our shared lexicon!

Otherwords is a new PBS web series on Storied that digs deep into this quintessential human trait of language and fınds the fascinating, thought-provoking, and funny stories behind the words and sounds we take for granted. Incorporating the fıelds of biology, history, cultural studies, literature, and more, linguistics has something for everyone and offers a unique perspective into what it means to be human.

hosted by Dr. Erica Brozovsky, Ph.D.
written by Dr. Erica Brozovsky, Ph.D. & Andrew Matthews
directed by Andrew Matthews & Katie Graham
produced by Katie Graham
animated & edited by Andrew Matthews
executive producer Amanda Fox
Assistant Director of Programming (PBS): Niki Walker
Executives in Charge (PBS): Brandon Arolfo, Adam Dylewski

music by APM
images by Shutterstock

[Just_Some_Guy_with_a_Mustache]

"That's a made-up word!"
"All words are made up..."

[MakhalanyaneMotaung]

As a Brit, I found it very weird to hear "nonce" used so casually in an American accent and without derogatory meaning.

[markmurray]

don't forget that Tolkien Also Popularized the plural "Dwarves" as opposed to "dwarfs"! his editors would frequently correct this thinking it was a mistake until he explicitly stated DO NOT

[theunbalancedcharge]

It’s crazy how words can go from being completely made up to perfectly cromulent in our modern language

[itaykerensm]

I see the word "grok" used in nerdy circles quite often, it's a word from "stranger in a strange land" that means to deeply/fully understand something.

[chrisredfield]

I would love to live in an alternate world where experts in science are called “Scienomancers”

[SaiyanHeretic]

"Gretchen, stop trying to make 'fetch' happen. It's not going to happen."

[blue_tree_meadow]

Just thought I ought to let you know, in British slang, NONCE means sex offender. It comes from old prison slang originally used by Prison Officers I believe. It's actually an acronym for, "Not On Normal Courtyard Exercise, " as sex offenders had to be kept separate from the normal prison population for fear of being beaten up or killed.

[buddyryusukanku]

I will always love how Gary Larson invented a term "Thagomizer" in his Far Side comic to describe the spikes on the end of some dinosaur tails, and later it was adopted by Paleontologists for the very same reason (as no one thought to name them before that point).

[conormurphy]

“What do you do?”

“I’m a contractor” *stabs with spear*

[julieblair]

That "actually" was GOLD. I love this series so much.

[fred]

oh dear, here in the UK 'nonce' is a slang term for paedophile!

[jacobharvey]

The Shakespeare animation continuously popping up with his giant smile is infectious.

[mnkeywrench]

That's something I love about the English language in particular, you can get away with making up a word if it has the right vibe for what you're going for

[AndrewVelonis]

"Serigraph" is a word describing a printing process using silk screens to print a work of art, one color at a time in series. The term was coined by Anthony Velonis, my father.

[MrRizeAG]

I remember reading that Isaac Asimov accidentally created the word "robotics", assuming that it was already a real word, similar to "optics", "electronics", "sonics", or "economics". Not sure if it's true, but I'm sure that must have happened many times in the history of language.

[InquisitorThomas]

Not going to lie, Sciencesmith sounds kinda cool.

[minski]

Putting on glasses just for the "Actually" bit. What a nerkle.

[ourpeachscones]

I love the idea of creating me own words for things that aren’t yet described as a concept

[kalaanderson]

I started my academic career studying English literature. Over time found myself becoming a “science-smith, ” focusing on experimental psychology and forensics. Your channel has sparked in me the same excitement I felt about the English language when I was younger, and the excitement I feel now with science. I can’t get enough! Thank you!