I know that words are frequently added to the dictionary, as technology and cultural idioms gain acceptance. But are words ever removed from the dictionary. If so, what is the criteria?
I know that words are frequently added to the dictionary, as technology and cultural idioms gain acceptance. But are words ever removed from the dictionary. If so, what is the criteria?
When words fall into disuse, they are marked “archaic” and eventually removed from smaller dictionaries. Unabridged dictionaries continue to list them.
I know that words are frequently added to the dictionary, as technology and cultural idioms gain acceptance. But are words ever removed from the dictionary. If so, what is the criteria?
Maybe it’s just a fluke on my refresh, but why is this thread listed 3 times? 
Actually, even unabridged dictionaries have removed words. Webster’s 2nd (1934) had words going back to about 1500. That is, the words had been in use sometime after that date.
When they published Webster’s 3rd (1961), that date had been changed to 1750. Lots of old words were removed. This was mainly because they wanted to be able to publish the dictionary in a single volume and there’s an upper limit to the size of a single book.
I don’t know how often things like this happen, but at least once a word has been removed from a dictionary because it never existed in the first place. As it happens, the abbreviation “D or d” for “density” was mistakenly included as the nonexistent word “dord” in a certain edition of Webster’s Dictionary. When an editor noticed the mistake it was removed.
See http://www.snopes.com/language/mistakes/dord.htm for a page about it.
Yes, the same happens to the dutch “Dikke van Dale” (most important dictionary) and the “Woordenlijst Nederlandse Taal” (government publication about “how to spell your language”).
Besides having obsolete words removed, people have tried to have offensive phrases (that were also slightly archaic) removed. Unsuccesfull sofar, but who knows.
Some words no longer appear in print, and thus fall below the bar for inclusion in the next editions.
There’s a site **1913 Webster’s
Revised Unabridged Dictionary http://humanities.uchicago.edu/forms_unrest/webster.form.html **
You will find lots of words there that are no longer in the current Webster’s unabridged.
Especially true of scientific and medical terms, but also slang, that was considered doubtful in the first place and only had a brief vogue 100 years ago.
The famous Dutch surf guitarist?
Yes, they are. One example that I came across was “catastatic,” which was in the 1980 Merriam-Webster, but not in subsequent editions. For the most part, they are removed as the result of obsolescence or desuetude.
Of course, Winston.
I heard they took the word gullible out of the dictionary…
Just because the word’s been “removed” doesn’t equate to it no longer being a word. Dictionary makers, just like any other book publisher, must deal with the constraints of time and space.
The question was posted three times, so I merged the three threads.
bibliophage
moderator GQ
Dunno, but it still contains “criterion” as the singular form.