Word coinage is almost like a rite of passage for authors. Every famous author from Milton to J.K. Rowling has thought up words out of thin air that still continue to be in usage and will perhaps be till the end of eternity. Some of these words figure in common everyday usage but most of us are unaware of their origin. Let’s recognize some of these words that have been invented by authors below –
• Nerd – Humor writer Dr. Seuss invented an entire litany of nonsensical words. The word “nerd” though caught on and is very much a part of contemporary diction. It is used to indicate anybody with an academic bent of mind.
• Robot – Robot is a Czech loan word. It was invented by Czech author Karel Capek in one of his plays in the 1920s. The word is used to refer to a machine that can function by itself and replicate human movement.
• Serendipity – The word came into common parlance only in the 20th century but was actually coined by author Horace Walpole, as far back as 1754. It stands for accidental discoveries or anything that happened by accident and wasn’t intended.