Have you ever looked a word up in the dictionary and it wasn't there?

Have you ever looked a word up in the dictionary and it wasn't there?


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It happens to me all the time. I just look up words common in Statistics to check their spelling and they are never there. So I have to wade through my text books hoping to find them fast.
I have even written at Webster once, I got a very nice answer in which they told me that the word I was looking for was just not common enough.
In practice, I don't think dictionaries aim at comprehensiveness
 
adjectives can't have precise definitions so they usually aren't in dictionaries.
 
well, what does it mean?

EDIT: never mind looked it up

from http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=glomp&r=d

1. Glomp

v, to glomp
NOT sexual, it is the action of one person lovingly (and dramatically) attacking another with a hug.
A glomp is often preadatory and lies somewhere in the grey area between a caring embrace, and a flying leap to tackle someone.
The term is used extesively in anime culture, as well as online in text form (anime because many anime characters do this often, and online because it is short and descriptive).

real life:
A runs at B as if to bowl her over, but instead picks up B and spins her around while squeezing her tightly.

online:
-*glomp!*
=hi!.. *squeek!* cant breathe ^-^
-*loosens grip*

Source: Angelknight dotorg, Feb 18, 2003

2. glomp

An affectionate tackle-hug. A combination of pounce, tackle, huggle and squish.

sees someone you know/like enter the IRC channel

<me> Hi someone! *glomps*
<someone> Hi me!
*someone glomps me

Source: Laverne, Jan 23, 2004

3. glomp

To hug with enthusiasm. To pretty much tackle someone in greeting. Term used a lot over the net at HP fansites. Often used surrounded by "action stars". ( *glomps buddy* )

*Glomps B* Welcome back! We missed you! How was your vacation?

*Glomps A back* I missed you too! My vacation was great!!

Source: DoctorA, Apr 18, 2004



havent bothered to read it yet.
 
Any technical term is almost certain to not be in the dictionary for several years--
"blog", anyone?
 
Whenever I look up a word and it does not appear, it is usually because I misspelled it.
 
Yes, especially when playing against those who like to make things up when playing Scrabble. Other times it is usually just a small dictionary that doesn't have all the words.
 
I've looked up many words that I've heard hear in Austria, that don't exist in any German dictionary.
 
DBear said:
Any technical term is almost certain to not be in the dictionary for several years--
"blog", anyone?
"Glomp" is a technical term? :lol:
 
A'AbarachAmadan said:
Yes, especially when playing against those who like to make things up when playing Scrabble.
The word "Quijibo" comes to mind... :lol:
Tomoyo said:
"Glomp" is a technical term? :lol:
Dbear is referrring to his own experiences with missing words, where recetnly created terms like "blog" are not found.

My problems with missing words are always with French/English dictionaries, when I'm tring to translate a term that just doesn't exist in both languages.
 
did anyone bother to read the definition i found?
 
Tomoyo said:
I had already linked to it before you posted it...

Ahh. stupid unobservant me.
 
Usually a word isn't there due to my spelling it incorrectly (which could be the purpose of looking it up to begin with), it's a small quick-reference kind of dictionary (like a pocket dictionary), or the dictionary itself is too old to include the slang or doesn't include slang at all.
 
More times than you can throw a giant radioactive monkey wrench at.

If I don't know a word, it's usually extremely obscure, highly technical, or some sort of slang; the same things that make it likely not to appear in dictionaries.

I notice that the AHD doesn't have "medize" ...

@SN: What "good" dictionaries do you have?
 
Flintlock said:
I found it rather upsetting that my dictionary didn't have "avocato".

Do you mean "avocado"?

I should know that one. I misspelled it in a regional spelling bee when I was 10 or so. :)
 
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