Protologisms: newly invented words

Stumbled across a fantastic invented word on Wiktionary yesterday: Protologism.

Protologism is a term invented by Mikhail Epstein of Emory University to refer to a newly created and proposed word which has not yet gained acceptance. As the inventor characterizes it, "It is a prototype or a hypothetical projection of a new lexical unit before it may become current in writing or speech."

This contrasts with Neologisms:

Neologisms are words that have already been in public usage by authors other than their inventors. As soon as a protologism finds its way into newspapers and websites, journals and books, it becomes a neologism.

Trendspotters like Faith Popcorn and Marian Salzman frequently utilise a snappy little protologism to generate some publicity for their prognostications (e.g. Salzman's MetroSexual). A good protologism can obviously come in pretty handy to sum up a concept but I'd argue that the teams over at SpringWise and Trendspotting might have taken this just a teensy little bit too far.  They seem to think that every observation they make about the world needs a protologism! What on earth is Gravanity all about, for example?

There are quite a few protologism projects on thet net including the rather base Urban Dictionary and its fularious daffynitions and the ever splendid British institution that is the Viz Profanisaurus.

Wiktionary maintains a slightly more sensible list of protologisms contributed by members of their community. Anyone can post one and, in theory, create a new word.

The protologisms that I think deserve to be neologisms are:

Abreticulate: to copy from the internet without attribution.

Aproctosis: a period of extended apathy, disinclination and propensity to indulge in displacement activities (from the Greek for can't be arsed)

Blogamy: the act of maintaining more than one blog at a time

Buffle: To rub the top of one's head against another's belly

Cryptophilia: an undefined urge; to want something but not know what you want

Eboniciser: A person who frequently invents words to add to online slang/protologism lists. (cf. ebonics and improviser)

Etceteric: Of or relating to a person who is like others of his or her kind; not deserving to be named individually; marginal, anonymous, obscure.

Fleege: a group of co-workers who socialise outside work but are not actually friends

Fugle: a futile search of the Internet

Guybrows: unplucked, bushy eyebrows on a woman

Homogenism: the belief that intergroup differences are divisive and destructive to society

Incommodocado: The state of being unable to reply because you've had an urgent call of nature.

Intolerista: those who are ostensibly advocates of openness, diversity, multiculturalism, and tolerance, but who are in practice viciously intolerant of any ideas that conflict with their own.

Limpathy: The attention earned by a child's feigned or exaggerated response to a trivial injury.

Markeneering: 1) The process of subverting good engineering practice for the sake of better market potential. 2) The use of irrelevant engineering jargon to improve the marketability of a product or service

MilliHelen: The amount of beauty required to launch a single ship.

Mojo Crash: The end of a run of creativity due to fatigue or exhaustion.

Mooby: The one after next i.e. Turn left at the mooby junction. Or Are you free mooby Tuesday?

Neodontia: The practice, far from being perfected, of inducing the growth of entirely new teeth in mature individuals. One form is to transplant individual tooth buds into the jaw; another form is to induce the growth of an entire new set of teeth.

Nibling: The son or daughter of your sibling, regardless of sex. A niece or nephew. Usage: 'I'm babysitting my niblings John and Kerry.'

Omniphobia: fear of everything

Phobophile: One who gains pleasure from being noticably feared by those around him.

Phobile moan: a complaint about mobile (cell) phones (e.g. regarding their ubiquity, inappropriate use, etc.)

Proctosculocracy: A social system in which advancement is based on fawning and flattery.

Prospiruption: a sound one makes the moment just before one sneezes; the "ah" in "ah-choo!"

Pseudolixir: Something which appears to be a miraculous cure or beneficial product, but is in fact no more effective than a placebo (e.g. Homeopathy).

Sarconym: The meat name for a specific animal. The word beef is the sarconym for cattle. Venison is the sarconym for deer.

Terrorocracy: To govern by fear / government as protection racket

Testiculate: to wave one's arms around while talking bollocks

Uterosexual: An emacipated woman of the new millennium who does not feel oppressed by masculinistic oppression, and instead is immensely proud of being female.

Vegemarian: A vegetarian who also consumes seafood.

Vommunition: The meal you have planned out before a night of heavy drinking.