# Vocabulary Article

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocabulary-article/628209
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports
**Created:** [July 14, 2012, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocabulary-article/628209 "2012-07-14T15:25:35Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 5

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### Author: ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2012, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocabulary-article/628209/5 "2012-07-14T23:19:29Z")

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This question has come up before. Cecil meant what he said. See [this post by Dex](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13115205&postcount=3). Or I’ll just quote from that thread so you don’t have to click

> [@Does the Avg. American Student Have a Smaller Vocabulary . . .](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-avg-american-student-have-a-smaller-vocabulary/559879/3):
>
> No, Cecil said and meant entomologists. Note the word “even” – it wouldn’t be surprising if the factoid were attributed to etymologists, but it IS surprising that it was attributed to insect-ologists.
> 
> You’re not alone in thinking that Cecil goofed (Cecil NEVER goofs), so I actually have the source: the entomologist was named Cole Gilbert. He was cited in Harper’s August 2000 (when the factoid was again published), but for a different nearby fact on the luminescence of fireflies. An article in the Oct. 2000 in the _Vancouver Sun_ cites him as the source of the vocabulary figures. So it was a goof on the part of the Vancouver Sun, but an amusing one.

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