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Everyone loves to hate verbs made with '-ize,' probably because, morphologically, almost any noun or adj in English can be turned into a verb this way. 'Finalize' was among the most controversial entries in our 1961 Unabridged, but it probably doesn't bother many today. #AskMW
And poor 'utilize' is attacked all the time, but it can create a useful distinction, if used judiciously.

#AskMW

merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/…
If you don't like 'incentivize,' cover your eyes now, because there's also the verb 'incent.'

Basically, business jargon nearly always annoys somebody.

#AskMW

merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/…
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This is such a good question. There actually isn't a "standard" phonetic transcription system for English (which is surprising). Dictionary companies come up with their own, which are inevitably similar to each other, with small differences.

#AskMW
Here is an actual honest-to-goodness more-than-you-need-to-know guide to pronunciation:

#AskMW

merriam-webster.com/assets/mw/stat…
Here's the thing: this system is idiosyncratic for English and is NOT the International Phonetic Alphabet, which is usually referred to as (a slightly less hoppy) "IPA."

merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Int…
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So many fisticuffs. Knife fights. Heated discussions. Actually, we don’t really decide - the English-speaking people do, through the manner in which they use words, and we try our best to keep up with their decisions, and to register them. #AskMW
Words are judged by the company they keep, and if the word appears in serious publications and in serious contexts with other serious words, it loses its informal status.
Here are some words that were labeled ‘slang’ in our dictionary in 1916: awful, bootleg, cahoots, coed, fluke, hunch, jamboree, jinx, and leery - all have managed to shake off that usage label. #AskMW
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In the 18th century Francis Grose hung around the London waterfronts, listening for slang. David Maurer did the same in gin joints in the 1940s. Today’s lexicographers mostly use computers. But it’s just as exciting and dashing as what Grose and Maurer did. Maybe.

(1/3) #AskMW
Some lexicographers (and many linguists) still listen to people speak for their research - it depends on what aspect of language one is trying to document. Most general dictionaries are largely (though not entirely) based on written language.

(2/3) #AskMW
If one is writing definitions on how a word is employed in written use then most of this work can be done by looking through databases of various kinds of text (newspapers, books, diaries, etc.)

(3/3) #AskMW
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I am very glad you asked, as it is so rare that one is given the chance to quote James Buchanan’s 1767 work, A Regular English Syntax (he wrote “It’s for it is is vulgar; ’tis is used”)

(1/4) #AskMW
The role of the apostrophe has always been in flux. People used to use it for possessive pronouns (her’s), and now we don’t. Except when we do (a room of one’s own).

(2/4) #AskMW
Some people used to use it’s in the genitive, indicating possession, and now we consider that a mistake. 50 years from now we might collectively change our minds, and go back to its, or Buchanan’s ’tis.

(3/4) #AskMW
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In one of those how-did-this-happen accidents of language, the 'in-' for 'inflammable' & the 'in-' for 'incombustible' are different.

The 'in-' in 'incombustible' means "not."

'Inflammable' come from 'inflame' [Latin 'in-' ("in" or "into") plus 'flammare' ("to flame")]

#AskMW
Here's more on 'inflammable':

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merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/…
There are also contranyms, or "janus words"--words that are their own opposites.

sanction
oversight
cleave
clip
fast

#AskMW

merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/…
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Words made by combining existing words are just called "compounds." In this case, '-some' was used as a suffix in Old English to make adjectives out of nouns, and that's all that's going on here.

Many are transparent:

awesome, burdensome, cuddlesome, lonesome

#AskMW
Some have moved further from their origins:

'handsome' ["easy to handle or control" > "suitable, handy" > "courteous, admirable" > "brave, clever" > "attractive"]

#AskMW
And 'buxom' is disguised by a spelling change but the phonetics are the same.

From the Old English verb "to bend": ["obedient, compliant" > "flexible, pliant" > "blithe, lively" > "healthy, vigorous, plump" > "full-bosomed"]

#AskMW
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