July 6, 2006

Google Is Officially An English Word

Oxford English Dictionary, the most comprehensive dictionary of the English language, has added "google" to its latest revision. You can find the entry by searching for "google" in this page. The verb "google" has been used in the recent years with the meaning "search (something) on the web", even though you use other search engine than Google.

Google comes from the word googol, which means 10100, and was coined by Milton Sirotta, nephew of American mathematician Edward Kasner. Larry Page and Sergey Brin didn't know the proper spelling of the word, so they've used Google to illustrate the huge quantity of information available, but not yet searchable.

Probably the first reference to Google was a cartoon called "Barney Google and Snuffy Smith" that was first published in 1919 by Billy DeBeck.

Update: Google is also listed in the latest edition of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. The Age speculates that Google will have a hard time defending its trademark. "If you can bring evidence to show that such a word has general currency, then anyone can use it," says Susan Butle, an Australian publisher.

14 comments:

  1. "Larry Page and Sergey Brin didn't know the proper spelling of the word, so they've used Google to illustrate the huge quantity of information available, but not yet searchable."

    Do you read what you write?

    There were dictionaries around before Google was invented...

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  2. Sorry for double commenting, but just went onto WayBack machine to find their first website and the meaning for the word Google:

    Taken from Google's first recorded site on the WayBack machine (http://web.archive.org/web/19990221202430/www.google.com/company.html)

    "The Name
    10^100 (a gigantic number) is a googol,
    but we liked the spelling "Google" better. We picked the name "Google" because our goal is to make huge quantities of information available to everyone. And it sounds cool and has only six letters. "

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  3. A rude anonymous says:
    <<Do you read what you write?

    Of course I read what I write. Many people make mistakes, even if they are Larry Page and Sergey Brin. They also didn't know HTML when they launched Google.

    Here's one of the many references to the spelling error.

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  4. Not to be a dick, but even in that link it says they knew the proper spelling but googol.com was not available.

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  5. "Of course I read what I write. Many people make mistakes, even if they are Larry Page and Sergey Brin. They also didn't know HTML when they launched Google."

    PMSL!

    Did you know, gullible was taken out of the dictionary in the new edition to make room for the word Gooogle.

    Please tell me you dont really think that?! How else could they create the interface? Without HTML, Googble (whoops, spelt it wrong, that must be its new name) would be just a searchbot.


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    "but even in that link it says they knew the proper spelling but googol.com was not available."

    Lol...
    Need i say more?
    Well, apart from, make sure you link to pages that proove your point.

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  6. Do you mean this interface (Google.com in 1999)?

    They've just put a search box, two buttons and some links. No design, nothing fancy.

    How do I know they weren't HTML experts? Marissa Mayer said that.

    "In 1998, founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page were consumed with writing code for their engine. Brin just wanted to hack together something to send queries to the back end, where the cool technology resided. Google didn't have a Web master, and Brin didn't do HTML. So he designed as little as he could get away with."

    Source.

    I don't think it's necessary to link to the source of each and every affirmation. You can always search the web to find more.

    Oh, and don't use bold unless you write something important, dear anonymous.

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  7. "Oh, and don't use bold unless you write something important, dear anonymous."

    So sorry, i will use italic next time.


    "
    I don't think it's necessary to link to the source of any affirmation. You can always search the web to find more.
    "

    Well you thought it was necessary in your previous post:

    "Here's one of the many references to the spelling error."


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    "
    How do I know they weren't HTML experts? Marissa Mayer said that.
    "

    Only use information you can trust, then you wont look like your a fool ;)



    "They've just put a search box, two buttons and some links. No design, nothing fancy."

    PMSL, thanks for contridicting yourself.

    I take it your not a web developer...
    HTML isn't ment for hardcore design, only small table backgrounds or borders and spacing (Oh wow, thats exactly what Google used HTML for). CSS is used for hardcore styling and design. Silly.

    Oh and btw, Search boxes, buttons, tables and links are pretty much all that HTML is, its not a full on programming language, its a mark-up language (Hyper-Text Markup Language). Can do anything "special" (Wow, I didnt use bold ;) lol)



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    "In 1998, founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page were consumed with writing code for their engine. Brin just wanted to hack together something to send queries to the back end, where the cool technology resided. Google didn't have a Web master, and Brin didn't do HTML. So he designed as little as he could get away with."


    Web Master = The two founders.

    Didnt do HTML - Ermm.. you dont have to be a genius to figure out HTML, of course he can do HTML. He went and did a PhD.

    Design as little... - Well of course he did, he only "just learnt" HTML.


    From what i have seen from this and your replies, you know very little about web developing, including the simple markup language, HTML.
    You are also very very very very very gullible, make sure you research things before posting something someone said on another blog/forum.


    -----------------------


    Although, lets put all this "argumentive" feeling aside (because you know i'll win ;) ) and lets talk about the thing this blog's about. Google.

    I recently came across a private webpage on the Google system, Im supposing it was their web-access to their LAN system. I managed to gain access to a folder called "mndrder", at a quick glance i thought it was short for murder, was pretty scared but continued into the folder. I got in there and found a file called "bluetooth_gmr.class" and "wifi_gmr.class", as well as a folder called "private_gmr__do_not_run_uo1j07".
    So as you do, i opened it and found a Java file called "GoogleMindReader.class" as well as an assets folder. In this i found "Bluetooth_gmr.class", although i was unable to find the WiFi Class in this folder.

    Im guessing Google's move onto the mobile wasnt for search or maps, but to access the Bluetooth features on most new phones. Im also guessing by the filenames that its for mind reading. Is the April Fools gag for mind reading coming true? Well, it would save typing anyway.

    Just have to wait and see.

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  8. These replies are so pointless. Maybe I should just delete these comments. But I won't, as most people will find the conversation funny.

    When I said HTML, of course I meant HTML + JavaScript + CSS. Although I'm not a web developer, I know CSS is used to separate content from design. But you should know that not many people used CSS in 1998 as the browser didn't have support for CSS. "Internet Explorer 5.0 for the Macintosh, shipped in March of 2000, was the first browser to have full (better than 99 percent) CSS1 support." [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascading_Style_Sheets ]

    I still don't think I've said something stupid in this post.

    Regarding the last part of your comment, it seems made up. Some screenshots and the address would have been useful.

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  9. "These replies are so pointless."

    Your or mine?... :P


    "When I said HTML, of course I meant HTML + JavaScript + CSS."

    Dont think you did...

    Previous Post: "They also didn't know HTML when they launched Google." - Ermm, if they didnt know HTML then they couldnt launch Google - One big reason, it would just be a searchbot, no user interface.


    "
    I still don't think I've said something stupid in this post.
    "

    True, but i cant say the same for your other posts.


    "Regarding the last part of your comment, it seems made up. Some screenshots and the address would have been useful."

    Pfft... Would I come up with something that scaring and amazing? Behave...

    Check out http://xlocal.google.com/private/projects/beta
    Although they have fixed the bug that allowed me to pop in and say hello.

    I would of taken screenshots, but I accidently poured glue down my Print Screen, Scroll Lock and Pause Break buttons when I was putting together my Google SuperComputer, so unforutuantly, as much as i tried to push the button, it wouldn't go down. Oh well, maybe next time yeh?

    Anyway, it seems as though you do not understand that you shouldnt take other peoples blog posts so seriously, it doesnt make you look good when you suggest such silly things ;)

    How old are you btw? It makes me wonder...

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  10. This was entertaining :)

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  11. prove is misspelled on one of the comments.

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  12. Ionut Alex. Chitu is right. I saw a documentary, where one of the founders of Google was asked why "Google". He replayed something like "lets just say that we didn't have [google check spelling] back there". As I saw this documentary a while back I am not sure how he refered to Google's check spelling, but you should get the point unless you are a complete moron on top of being very rude and annoying. As google was not a word back then, you can guess, that is probably made up, my guess is by Larry Page or Sergey Brin. And yes, the fact that they are (or not) web developers geniuses or the fact that there were dictionaries around before Google was invented is irrelevant.

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  13. scrabble on line say no not a word

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  14. There is a much more interesting definition for the word google. But this other definition is very difficult to find because of some courtroom action by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. I will share it with you.

    1. google vt googled (2003) to mistreat or exploit through trickery or unfair actions; esp: to deprive of or cheat out of something due or expected. ("I've been ~." -homeless small businessman)

    2. google vt googled (2004) to acquire vast wealth through trickery or unfair actions ("We've been ~." -Larry Page and Sergey Brin as they're waving goodbye from the San Francisco Yacht Club)

    Also, I encourage you to check out the 187-page study from Graz University, Austria by Prof. Hermann Maurer, editor and co-author. Sept 30, 2007. Maybe you can Google it. :P

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