GOOGLE (VERB)

The verb 'to google' (also spelled 'to Google') refers to using the Google search engine to obtain information on the Web. For example, "Mary googled for recipes." A neologism arousing from the popularity and dominance^[1] of the eponymous search engine, the American Dialect Society chose it as the "most useful word of 2002." ^[2] It was officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) on June 15, 2006,^[3] and to the 11th edition of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary in July 2006.^[4] The OED notes the question, "Has anyone Googled?" in the Usenet newsgroup alt.fan.british-accent on October 10, 1999 as the first recorded usage of the word, though on July 8, 1998, Larry Page himself wrote on a mailing list: "Have fun and keep googling!"^[5]
Fearing the dilution and potential loss of its trademark, Google has attempted to discourage use of the word as a verb, particularly when used as a synonym for general web searching. In February 23, 2003^[6], the company sent a cease and desist letter to Paul McFedries, creator of Word Spy, a website that tracks neologisms.^[7] In an article in the Washington Post, Frank Ahrens discussed the letter he received from a Google lawyer that demonstrated "appropriate" and "inappropriate" ways to use the verb "google".^[8] It was reported that, in response to this concern, lexicographers for the Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary lowercased the actual entry for the word, ''google'', while maintaining the capitalization of the search engine in their definition, "to use the Google search engine to seek online information" (a concern which did not deter the Oxford editors from preserving the history of both "cases").^[9] In October 25, 2006, Google sent a plea to the public requesting that "you should please only use 'Google' when you’re actually referring to Google Inc. and our services."^[10]

Contents

Other meanings

See also

References

Other meanings

★ The OED lists an older verb 'google' (without initial capital), meaning to bowl a googly in the game of cricket.

★ In business slang, "to be Googled" can mean to be underpriced or otherwise thoroughly competed out of a market by another company offering the same product or service "better and free". ^[11]

See also

★ Trademark

★ Genericized trademark

★ Googol

★ Googlebomb

★ Fridge-googling

★ grep

★ Googly

References

1. Top 10 Search Providers, April 2007
2. 2002 Words of the Year
3. Bylund, Anders. "To Google or Not to Google." ''The Motley Fool.'' July 5, 2006. Retrieved on March 28, 2007.
4. Harris, Scott D. "Dictionary adds verb: to google." ''San Jose Mercury News.'' July 7, 2006. Retrieved on July 7, 2006.
5. Google Search Engine: New Features
6. Google trademark concerns
7. Duffy, Jonathan. "Google calls in the 'language police'." ''BBC News.'' June 20, 2003. Retrieved on July 7, 2006.
8. So Google Is No Brand X, but What Is 'Genericide'?
9. Noon, Chris. "Brin, Page See 'Google' Take Its Place In Dictionary." ''Forbes.'' July 6, 2006. Retrieved on July 7, 2006.
10. Do you "Google?"
11. Yahoo “Googled” Google Answers