# IT-centric words which are appropriated from elsewhere **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 3, 2015, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-centric-words-which-are-appropriated-from-elsewhere/721515 "2015-06-03T08:32:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2015, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-centric-words-which-are-appropriated-from-elsewhere/721515/21 "2015-06-05T16:40:47Z")
User (from the illicit drug trade) ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2015, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-centric-words-which-are-appropriated-from-elsewhere/721515/22 "2015-06-05T19:34:54Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > That’s only an “old” joke if you’re a young IT person. IOW, it’s old only in internet years. I’ll concede on that, but it’s a good example of an appropriated term. “Icon” derives from a Greek word meaning “image” - the idea is that in certain Christian traditions, it is believed that certain images (“icons”) actually provide access, in a spiritual sense, to the things that they depict. E.g. praying in front of an icon of the Virgin Mary provides a way to pray _to_ her. So transitioning the term to IT makes sense, since a computer “icon” _provides a way to access the functionality that is behind the icon_, such as an application, module, or file. There’s also a somewhat-old “IT Tech Support” joke about the customer who was told by support to “Click on the Netscape icon” and was rebuffed with “I’m a Protestant, I don’t believe in icons.” ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2015, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-centric-words-which-are-appropriated-from-elsewhere/721515/23 "2015-06-05T19:36:02Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > User > > (from the illicit drug trade) Download a free trial version! ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2015, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-centric-words-which-are-appropriated-from-elsewhere/721515/24 "2015-06-05T19:54:31Z")
Spam! ---
**Author:** ![goldmund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a4c791/32.png) [@goldmund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/goldmund)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2015, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-centric-words-which-are-appropriated-from-elsewhere/721515/25 "2015-06-06T02:02:11Z")
Beta, attribute, pattern, archive, store, source, code, button, language, cookie, GNU (heh), kerberos, directory, pointer, route/router/etc, protocol, hacker, security, edit/editor, vector, attack, flood, schema, kernel, driver, parallel, serial, inheritance, polymorphism, prototype, processor, instruction, program, utility, parser, token/tokenize/tokenizer, placeholder, query, index, performance, throughput, swap, paging, build, assemble, compress, cut, scan, tree, model, view, controller, exception, patch, expression, record, partition, read, write, lock, thread, font, repository, share, network, forum, storage, factory, facade, decorator, proxy, template, intepreter, iterator, observer, script, automation, deployment, cloud, mount, error, sniff/sniffer, input, output, install, update, batch, echo, carriage return, control, escape, backspace, delete, core, dump, symbol, trace, log, machine, snapshot, pipe, paramater, argument, profile, ticket… IT stream of consciousness. Oh, yeah… “stream”, that’s one, too. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2015, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-centric-words-which-are-appropriated-from-elsewhere/721515/26 "2015-06-06T03:07:23Z")
line feed, carriage return, spool, buffer (likely from railroading), ping (from sonar), virus (I’m shocked that no one has mentioned this yet), port, prompt, tablet, terminal, avatar (from Hinduism), illegal operation (IT examples don’t typically send you to prison), backbone, blob (database term meaning an object that the database can’t interpret and just has to store), bot, carbon copy, dock, site ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2015, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-centric-words-which-are-appropriated-from-elsewhere/721515/27 "2015-06-06T03:30:44Z")
> [@TwoCarrotSnowman](#): > > Yep… sorry - should have been clearer. I’m not looking for a definitive list of ALL such words, just enough that I can throw a slide up in the background with a big list to show how our language is changing as technology adopts existing words. > > I keep thinking of new ones every now and again - I just went down the rabbit hole of programming terms: function, variable, loop, method, class etc… it’s never-ending! 😃 > > Thanks everyone for all the suggestions, I think I have plenty now. 🙂 As a recommendation, it might be a good idea to concentrate on the terms that have an _interesting_ background. For example, avatar (Hinduism), icon (Christianity), carriage return (typewriters), line feed (typewriters), ping (sonar), virus (biology), backbone (anatomy), carbon copy (old-fashioned multipart forms), kernel (agriculture), patch (sewing), façade (architecture), factory (manufacturing) > [@Dervorin](#): > > … > anchor (in HTML) > … What do you do with a misplaced DIV tag? Put in a bug fix till it’s adjusted. Send it to Bill for the morning meeting. Say it’s a feature for 2.01. Make it watch cat videos day and night. It’s in Action Item 2043. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2015, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-centric-words-which-are-appropriated-from-elsewhere/721515/28 "2015-06-06T04:42:43Z")
I think there was actually a real bug (moth) in one of those first house sized computers that caused the problem. Perhaps that just a story though… Function Inherit Import Process Dimension It would probably be easier to find words that weren’t re-purposed. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2015, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-centric-words-which-are-appropriated-from-elsewhere/721515/29 "2015-06-06T08:59:28Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I think there was actually a real bug (moth) in one of those first house sized computers that caused the problem. > > Perhaps that just a story though… Nope, it’s quite true. Grace Hopper (“Amazing Grace”) was in charge, and they actually taped the moth into the log book. [See that page here](http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2013/12/moth-660x548.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2015, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-centric-words-which-are-appropriated-from-elsewhere/721515/30 "2015-06-06T21:18:21Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Nope, it’s quite true. Grace Hopper (“Amazing Grace”) was in charge, and they actually taped the moth into the log book. [See that page here](http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2013/12/moth-660x548.jpg). If you read it carefully, it says it is the first _actual_ case of bug being found. That indicates that the term bug = glitch was already in use or at least recognized. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2015, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-centric-words-which-are-appropriated-from-elsewhere/721515/31 "2015-06-06T22:35:59Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > If you read it carefully, it says it is the first _actual_ case of bug being found. That indicates that the term bug = glitch was already in use or at least recognized. And that’s what drives us to be programmers doesn’t it. “That’s not quite right”. There are many days that I would rather drive a truck. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2015, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-centric-words-which-are-appropriated-from-elsewhere/721515/32 "2015-06-07T02:26:51Z")
Try the [Jargon File](http://www.catb.org/esr/jargon/). History and definitions, all wrapped in one, although it hasn’t been updated in about a decade, I think. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-centric-words-which-are-appropriated-from-elsewhere/721515.md?page=1)