# Should "The Word Spy" remove Google-as-a-verb entry? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 26, 2003, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-word-spy-remove-google-as-a-verb-entry/157550 "2003-02-26T03:16:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-word-spy-remove-google-as-a-verb-entry/157550/1 "2003-02-26T03:16:03Z")
The site “The Word Spy” has an entry describing using the word “Google” as a verb: [http://www.wordspy.com/words/google.asp](http://www.wordspy.com/words/google.asp) They received a letter from the trademark counsel for Google asking them to remove the entry: [http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0302D&L=ads-l&P=R2450](http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0302D&L=ads-l&P=R2450) Partial quote: “Our brand is very important to us, and as I’m sure you’ll understand, we want to make sure that when people use “Google,” they are referring to the services our company provides and not to Internet searching in general.” Should The Word Spy respect Google’s wishes and remove the word? Or should they keep it in the spirit of describing actual use? I’m leaning toward the idea that actual use should be described. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-word-spy-remove-google-as-a-verb-entry/157550/2 "2003-02-26T03:23:25Z")
Welp, Google is fer sure fighting a losing battle, just like Kleenex and Jello and aspirin. ---
**Author:** ![McDuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@McDuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/McDuff)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-word-spy-remove-google-as-a-verb-entry/157550/3 "2003-02-26T03:26:40Z")
I’m not quite sure I understand the problem here. Whe I “google” an item, I don’t type [www.yahoo.com](http://www.yahoo.com) or [www.av.com](http://www.av.com) into my browser. I go to google. Is it actually in use by anyone as a “generic” search term? If it is, then it’s because it’s been passed into the mainstream, and, frankly, it should stay there. But I don’t think it is yet. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-word-spy-remove-google-as-a-verb-entry/157550/4 "2003-02-26T03:44:40Z")
I think Google is being way too anal about this. Witness the approach of Hormel Foods regarding the use of their **Spam®** trademark to describe unwanted email: [Spam and the Internet](http://www.spam.com/ci/ci_in.htm) > [@](#): > > \*\*This slang term does not affect the strength of our trademark SPAM. In a Federal District Court case involving the famous trademark STAR WARS owned by LucasFilms, the Court ruled that the slang term used to refer to the Strategic Defense Initiative did not weaken the trademark and the Court refused to stop its use as a slang term. Other examples of famous trademarks having a different slang meaning include MICKEY MOUSE, to describe something as unsophisticated; TEFLON, used to describe President Reagan; and CADILLAC, used to denote something as being high quality. \*\* ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-word-spy-remove-google-as-a-verb-entry/157550/5 "2003-02-26T05:18:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fear Itself \* > \*\*I think Google is being way too anal about this. Witness the approach of Hormel Foods regarding the use of their **Spam® …** I think that’s a little different though. SPAM luncheon “meat” and spam junk email are clearly very, very different things. One is (at least ostensibly) a food. The other is a form of electronic data. Therefore, there is no confusion at all which one anyone is refering to in any given situation. Likewise with Star Wars the movies and Star Wars the defense project, as well as the others in that list. However, Google the search engine and google the verb are obviously very closely related. In fact, they refer pretty much to the same thing, only one is more broad in scope. To google means to look something up on a search engine. To use Google is to look something up on a particular search engine. I am not a lawyer, but I was under the impression that such extensions of the word really could weaken the trademark, just like aspirin. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-word-spy-remove-google-as-a-verb-entry/157550/6 "2003-02-26T14:00:59Z")
FWIW, I am also in the camp of when I “google” something, I use Google, not another engine. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-word-spy-remove-google-as-a-verb-entry/157550/7 "2003-02-26T14:15:37Z")
I also wouldn’t use google to describe using another search engine, but the Word Spy entry says they found dozens of examples that is has been used that way. Clearly, a “Kleenexing” of the name has begun, and I don’t blame Google for trying to stop it. To me, the question is whether Word Spy should be nice and remove the entry (I don’t think there’s been a legal threat, simply a request), or continue with describing the term as it used. I’m still leaning towards keeping the description, but I see Google’s point. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Brian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c89c15/32.png) [@I\_Brian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Brian)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-word-spy-remove-google-as-a-verb-entry/157550/8 "2003-02-26T14:20:24Z")
Well, Google has the TM symbol - supposedly meaning “Trade Mark”, but apparently also reading as “Totally Meaningless” in legal issues (allegedly). Personally, I’d think having such a notable service that your company name enters the English language as a verb has to be an incredible marketing tool. ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-word-spy-remove-google-as-a-verb-entry/157550/9 "2003-02-26T14:40:32Z")
To my understanding, if Google does not defend their trademark, then it is diluted and does become kleenexed or xeroxed. They are doing this out of a legal obligation. On the other hand, verb usage of a trademark is specifically exempted, [mentioned later on that listserv](http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0302D&L=ads-l&P=R2823). It seems that Google-as-a-verb is destined to remain, but they’re trying to prevent the possible outcome of Joe Schmoe starting a search engine and calling it “Joe’s Googler”. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-word-spy-remove-google-as-a-verb-entry/157550/10 "2003-02-26T21:32:55Z")
“Google” existed–and died–long before Al Gore invented the Internet. It’s an obsolete alternate form of the word “goggle,” and also had a verbal meaning pretty much what you would expect–and, by extension, what you do with the Google search engine. ---
**Author:** ![c\_carol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@c\_carol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_carol)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-word-spy-remove-google-as-a-verb-entry/157550/11 "2003-02-27T03:16:23Z")
I first discovered how cool Google™ is, way back when I was an Internet newbie, because I kept seeing people use “google” as a verb, and decided to see what it was all about. (Wonder how many other people found it that way?) Don’t recall ever hearing anyone talk about “googling” stuff on, say, Yahoo. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-word-spy-remove-google-as-a-verb-entry/157550/12 "2003-02-27T03:30:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mjollnir \* > \*\*“Google” existed–and died–long before Al Gore invented the Internet. It’s an obsolete alternate form of the word “goggle,” and also had a verbal meaning pretty much what you would expect–and, by extension, what you do with the Google search engine. \*\* That’s interesting, I always thought the term originated with the search engine, as a derivation of Googol. Do you have any more information about this previous use of “Google”? ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-word-spy-remove-google-as-a-verb-entry/157550/13 "2003-02-27T03:51:49Z")
Nope. OED just basically says “Obsolete. See _goggle_ n. and v.” But. . . let’s not forget comic strip character Barney Google and his goo-goo-googly eyes. ---
**Author:** ![DreadCthulhu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DreadCthulhu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreadCthulhu)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-word-spy-remove-google-as-a-verb-entry/157550/14 "2003-02-27T04:07:58Z")
Well, I don’t see a problem with Google defending its trademark, if it didn’t defend it how long before you would see a [uGoogle.com](http://uGoogle.com) or other derivatives? ---
**Author:** ![McDuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@McDuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/McDuff)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-word-spy-remove-google-as-a-verb-entry/157550/15 "2003-02-27T08:37:32Z")
> [@](#): > > Nope. OED just basically says “Obsolete. See goggle n. and v.” Au contraire: [Google, v](http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/00096854?query_type=word&queryword=google&edition=2e&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&search_id=5Qhi-kb0AQ1-252&hilite=00096854) Trust the British to already have the verb in use, albeit as a term in a sport nobody really understands, even those that play it. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-word-spy-remove-google-as-a-verb-entry/157550/16 "2003-02-27T17:36:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mjollnir \* > \*\* > > But. . . let’s not forget comic strip character Barney Google and his goo-goo-googly eyes. \*\* Oh lord, you’re the only other person I’ve seen say that. Did you watch the same special I did waaaaaay back when where they took about 10 comic strips and animated them?