We welcome your contributions to the dictionary. There are two ways to contribute. You can suggest terms for inclusion or you can take a look at our Appeals List and search for uses of those terms. Citations of use can be sent via email to dave@wordorigins.org or can be sent via the form below.
In both cases, what we are looking for are actual citations of use. Submissions should meet the following criteria:
1. It should be an actual citation of use. Someone must actually be using the term "in the wild." Please do not submit citations from dictionaries, books of slang, or websites that simply list business terms unless the item is listed on the appeals list and the source in question antedates (provides an early usage) of the term.
2. The source must be verifiable. It must come from a source that can be checked, a book, a magazine or newspaper, a website or blog, a film or video, etc. Personal attestations of use are acceptable if they are current (you recently used or heard the term used) and if you provide contact information so we can follow up if necessary. Personal citations from the past (e.g., "I used the term 20 years ago") are not useful. Nor are anonymous personal attestations. (Anonymous contributions referencing published sources are perfectly fine.)
3. The citation must be complete. The submission must include both the quotation and enough bibliographic information to allow verification. We have to be able to find the citation in the original source.
If the submission meets these requirements, we'll enter it into our database of citations. All submissions become the property of the project. Those who wish to, will have their names or pseudonyms recorded on the list of contributors.
Introduction to the Dictionary
© 2005 by The Business and High-Tech Dictionary Project. All rights reserved.