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Merriam-Webster Permanently Bans "Widget" From Dictionary

Merriam-Webster Permanently Bans 'Widget' From Dictionary
Screenshot of the entry for "widget" that details its demise

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (CAP) - Officials for the world's largest dictionary maker have announced that the word widget will be removed from all future publications beginning with the next printing run later this year. The word has already been removed from their online dictionary.

"We at Merriam-Webster feel it is imperative to keep a certain standard within our focus on the English lexicon," the company said in a statement released yesterday. "And the continued overuse of the word widget is lowering that standard below what we feel is acceptable."

This news marks the first time a major dictionary publisher has removed a word from their dictionary that is still a part of the common vocabulary. Words that have long since left everyday use are often removed in favor of newer words, but only after some period of time. Many lexicologists question the company's motive.

"Oh, I couldn't agree more," said International College of Applied Linguistics professor George Thompson. "I mean, if I hear about another company creating another widget for another website, I'm going to lose it. But they're making a political statement, not a linguistic one."

That's exactly the sentiment echoed by a coalition of widget-based websites, led by PostApp's WidgetBox.com. The group, which calls itself Save The Widgets, has started a petition campaign aimed at getting widget back into the dictionary - and getting window out of it.

"You want to talk about overuse or bad connotation?" said Ed Anuff of PostApp. "How about what Microsoft has done to the word window? Listen, if it's space they're worried about, then how about we just swap window for widget. I doubt anyone will complain much."

French dictionary maker Oxford-Hachette subsequently announced that they would keep the word in their publication, with two stipulations. One is that Americans now break the word into two genders, referring to it as either le widget or la widgette, depending on the intrinsic nature of the widget in question. The other is that Americans return to using French fries to describe deep-fried potato strings.

While Merriam-Webster refused to talk with CAP News for this story, it appears the company has no intention of backing down from its edict.

- CAP News Staff
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