Wordy Wednesday: DORD

DORD (noun) Physics & Chem. Density. 

 I will venture to guess that most haven’t heard of this word.

Can you guess why?

Though it appears to be a simple enough word, it has a complex history.

DORD first appeared in Webster’s New International Dictionary Second Edition in 1934. The reason you likely haven’t come across DORD before is because it isn’t a real word.

Say what?!

If DORD was in the dictionary, it must be real, right?

DORD is what’s called a ghost word. A fake. A phony. Bogus. How could a fake word end up in a dictionary? Possibly, facts that weren’t double checked? Clerical error? Misunderstanding? Whatever the reason, it happened, and I find it quite entertaining.

I’m all for made-up words. We do it in our household all the time. Some of them we have used so much over the years that I can’t remember if they’re real or not—or DORD!

In 1931, a 3x5 slip of paper with a new word to be added to the dictionary was created. All the information about the new word would be add to this slip . Then it would pass through many hands for checking and polishing before being added to the next edition of the dictionary.

This is DORD’s slip.

See the D or d? When creating these, spaces were required between all the letters of a word so pronunciation and syllable marks could be added. The person who received this slip must have assumed that the author of this one forgot the space between the “o” and the “r”. In reality, it was for the letter “D” as an abbreviation for “density.” D? Or d?

The error was discovered in 1939, and DORD was slated to be removed from the dictionary.

But DORD wouldn’t give up so easily. It held on for several more years. From 1934-1947, DORD had a fourteen-year run in the real world.

This whole misunderstanding could have been avoided with a little punctuation. Instead of D or d, what if the person had put “D” or “d”? That is much clearer. Not as much room for misinterpretation. Personally, I’m glad they didn’t, or we never would have had DORD.

I’d like to bring DORD back but with a bit of a different definition.

DORD (noun) 1. A ghost word; 2. Something or someone that isn’t real.

DORD (verb) (DORDING, DORDED, DORDS) to ghost or shadow someone or something.
Derivatives: DORDLY, DORDNESS, DORDLINESS, DORDEDLY

So if I can use it in a sentence, does that make it a real word?
He DORDEDLY followed me.
He followed me in a DORDLY fashion.
DORD is a DORD.

If myself and other DORD-minded people use DORD enough, will it get put back into the dictionary because of usage? That’s how other DORD words made it into the dictionaries to begin with. Someone had to start using them.

This just goes to prove that you really can't believe everything you read.

Have you heard of any other DORD words?

THE WIDOW'S PLIGHT ~ A sweet historical romance that will tug at your heart. This is book 1 in the Quilting Circle series.
Washington State, 1893
     When Lily Lexington Bremmer arrives in Kamola with her young son, she’s reluctant to join the social center of her new community, the quilting circle, but the friendly ladies pull her in. She begins piecing a sunshine and shadows quilt because it mirrors her life. She has a secret that lurks in the shadows and hopes it doesn’t come out into the light. Dark places in her past are best forgotten, but her new life is full of sunshine. Will her secrets cast shadows on her bright future?
     Widower Edric Hammond and his father are doing their best to raise his two young daughters. He meets Lily and her son when they arrive in town and helps her find a job and a place to live. Lily resists Edric’s charms at first but finds herself falling in love with this kind, gentle man and his two darling daughters. Lily has stolen his heart with her first warm smile, but he’s cautious about bringing another woman into his girls’ lives due to the harshness of their own mother.
     Can Edric forgive Lily her past to take hold of a promising chance at love?
THE WIDOW'S PLIGHT is now available at a low, pre-order price. This book releases in ebook on July 1, and will be out in paperback by mid-June.

#ChristianRomance #HistoricalRomance #Romance

MARY DAVIS is a bestselling, award-winning novelist of over two dozen titles in both historical and contemporary themes. She has five titles releasing in 2018; "Holly & Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection in January, Courting Her Amish Heart in March, The Widow’s Plight in July, Courting Her Secret Heart September, & “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in MISSAdventure Brides Collection in December. She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of over thirty-three years and two cats. She has three adult children and one incredibly adorable grandchild. Find her online at:
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