That Word Chat
@thatwordchat.bsky.social
That Word Chat is an online chat show featuring people and things lexical, hosted by @editormark.bsky.social.
Website: thatwordchat.com
YouTube: bit.ly/ThatWordVideo
Website: thatwordchat.com
YouTube: bit.ly/ThatWordVideo
Thank you to Peter Sokolowski for joining us today to chat about the new edition of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary! Learn more: www.merriam-webster.com/collegiate-d...
#ThatWordChat #MerriamWebster #Dictionary #NewEdition
#ThatWordChat #MerriamWebster #Dictionary #NewEdition
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Twelfth Edition | Merriam-Webster
Announcing the new Twelfth Edition of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, thoroughly updated and redesigned to be even more useful and engaging for students, professionals, and everyone who loves...
www.merriam-webster.com
November 18, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Thank you to Peter Sokolowski for joining us today to chat about the new edition of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary! Learn more: www.merriam-webster.com/collegiate-d...
#ThatWordChat #MerriamWebster #Dictionary #NewEdition
#ThatWordChat #MerriamWebster #Dictionary #NewEdition
That’s part of what the 12th edition asserts: We’re still here. “I use dictionaries in both forms every day. I think a lot of you do too.” #ThatWordChat
November 18, 2025 at 10:34 PM
That’s part of what the 12th edition asserts: We’re still here. “I use dictionaries in both forms every day. I think a lot of you do too.” #ThatWordChat
Today, the competition isn’t other dictionaries; it’s Google and AI. “They poach our material more directly than any other profession.” #ThatWordChat
November 18, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Today, the competition isn’t other dictionaries; it’s Google and AI. “They poach our material more directly than any other profession.” #ThatWordChat
What about all the dictionaries that have disappeared? “I find it lamentable,” said Sokolowski. “American Heritage, Webster’s New World—these were careful, handmade dictionaries with a point of view.” #ThatWordChat
November 18, 2025 at 10:31 PM
What about all the dictionaries that have disappeared? “I find it lamentable,” said Sokolowski. “American Heritage, Webster’s New World—these were careful, handmade dictionaries with a point of view.” #ThatWordChat
The illustrations remain in the 12th edition. “We try to use illustrations to help distinguish entries that might otherwise be too easily confused.” #ThatWordChat
November 18, 2025 at 10:30 PM
The illustrations remain in the 12th edition. “We try to use illustrations to help distinguish entries that might otherwise be too easily confused.” #ThatWordChat
“There’s a kind of circle of influence,” Sokolowski said. “There’s an inherent conservatism in what we do. Style choices echo back and forth between dictionaries, editors, and journalists.” #ThatWordChat
November 18, 2025 at 10:29 PM
“There’s a kind of circle of influence,” Sokolowski said. “There’s an inherent conservatism in what we do. Style choices echo back and forth between dictionaries, editors, and journalists.” #ThatWordChat
Some definitions are stipulative, tied to how an official body introduces a term, like “designated hitter.” “We’re not the secretary for the American League,” said Sokolowski. “But we know a term when we see it settle.” #ThatWordChat
November 18, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Some definitions are stipulative, tied to how an official body introduces a term, like “designated hitter.” “We’re not the secretary for the American League,” said Sokolowski. “But we know a term when we see it settle.” #ThatWordChat
Were there controversial updates? Yes: vaccine. mRNA technology prompted a new sense in the entry. “We weren’t being political. The science changed. So the definition had to.” #ThatWordChat
November 18, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Were there controversial updates? Yes: vaccine. mRNA technology prompted a new sense in the entry. “We weren’t being political. The science changed. So the definition had to.” #ThatWordChat
“A shared language is a shared set of facts.” Usage notes reflect cultural facts, not ideology. “We treat ‘woke’ like any other word.” #ThatWordChat
November 18, 2025 at 10:23 PM
“A shared language is a shared set of facts.” Usage notes reflect cultural facts, not ideology. “We treat ‘woke’ like any other word.” #ThatWordChat
Were culture-war terms a challenge? “Most of this book was typeset before any backlash.” The dictionary’s job, he reminded us, is to reflect usage accurately. #ThatWordChat
November 18, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Were culture-war terms a challenge? “Most of this book was typeset before any backlash.” The dictionary’s job, he reminded us, is to reflect usage accurately. #ThatWordChat
“A good dictionary should protect you,” Sokolowski said. “It should warn you from embarrassing yourself, and from offending others.” #ThatWordChat
November 18, 2025 at 10:22 PM
“A good dictionary should protect you,” Sokolowski said. “It should warn you from embarrassing yourself, and from offending others.” #ThatWordChat
High-traffic entries like affect/effect, imply/infer, literally, and unique get full usage notes in the 12th because people check them constantly. #ThatWordChat
November 18, 2025 at 10:21 PM
High-traffic entries like affect/effect, imply/infer, literally, and unique get full usage notes in the 12th because people check them constantly. #ThatWordChat
Did 6-7 make the cut? Not for this edition. “Without a discernible definition, it’s hard.” But eighty-six is in. #ThatWordChat
November 18, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Did 6-7 make the cut? Not for this edition. “Without a discernible definition, it’s hard.” But eighty-six is in. #ThatWordChat
The word Collegiate itself is trademarked. So are the red circle and Merriam-Webster’s styling. “You put a circle on a reference book, we have to defend it.” #ThatWordChat
November 18, 2025 at 10:16 PM
The word Collegiate itself is trademarked. So are the red circle and Merriam-Webster’s styling. “You put a circle on a reference book, we have to defend it.” #ThatWordChat
He shared stories from The Dictionary Project, which donates dictionaries to 3rd graders—many of whom have never owned a book. “We have to look at literacy and the publishing of fact-based information as essential, not luxurious.” #ThatWordChat
November 18, 2025 at 10:13 PM
He shared stories from The Dictionary Project, which donates dictionaries to 3rd graders—many of whom have never owned a book. “We have to look at literacy and the publishing of fact-based information as essential, not luxurious.” #ThatWordChat
Dictionaries are historical, practical, and personal, Sokolowski said. “What had been a luxury in 1828—a $20 book—was reduced to $6 in 1847, then to $3, then to 25 cents. The Merriam model has always been mass distribution. You can’t get more accessible than free online.” #ThatWordChat
November 18, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Dictionaries are historical, practical, and personal, Sokolowski said. “What had been a luxury in 1828—a $20 book—was reduced to $6 in 1847, then to $3, then to 25 cents. The Merriam model has always been mass distribution. You can’t get more accessible than free online.” #ThatWordChat
“Dictionaries are a measure of language, but they’re also a measure of time. They give us a snapshot of that moment.” - Sokolowski #ThatWordChat
November 18, 2025 at 10:08 PM
“Dictionaries are a measure of language, but they’re also a measure of time. They give us a snapshot of that moment.” - Sokolowski #ThatWordChat
For some, comparing entries across editions is part of the fun. One example is rock and roll. “One has hyphens, one doesn’t. And in Webster’s Third, it’s something like ‘rhythmic jazz’…” #ThatWordChat
November 18, 2025 at 10:08 PM
For some, comparing entries across editions is part of the fun. One example is rock and roll. “One has hyphens, one doesn’t. And in Webster’s Third, it’s something like ‘rhythmic jazz’…” #ThatWordChat
“I look at it like a Russian doll,” Sokolowski said. “The more current one is the smaller one, and the longer tail, the older material, surrounds it.” #ThatWordChat
November 18, 2025 at 10:06 PM
“I look at it like a Russian doll,” Sokolowski said. “The more current one is the smaller one, and the longer tail, the older material, surrounds it.” #ThatWordChat
“Mean” (like in Mean Girls) is one that has been revised for the 12th. That version differs from what appears in Webster’s Third or the Unabridged. #ThatWordChat
November 18, 2025 at 10:06 PM
“Mean” (like in Mean Girls) is one that has been revised for the 12th. That version differs from what appears in Webster’s Third or the Unabridged. #ThatWordChat
Are there updated entries in the online Unabridged that aren't in the free site? Not quite, Sokolowski said. Where the Collegiate and Unabridged overlap, they're separate entries, often with different revisions. #ThatWordChat
November 18, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Are there updated entries in the online Unabridged that aren't in the free site? Not quite, Sokolowski said. Where the Collegiate and Unabridged overlap, they're separate entries, often with different revisions. #ThatWordChat
The free Merriam-Webster site includes a mix of Collegiate and Unabridged. “The dynamic part of English, the part that changes, is in the Collegiate. And that’s what drives the online dictionary today.” #ThatWordChat
November 18, 2025 at 10:03 PM
The free Merriam-Webster site includes a mix of Collegiate and Unabridged. “The dynamic part of English, the part that changes, is in the Collegiate. And that’s what drives the online dictionary today.” #ThatWordChat
The 11th did go through plate changes. The last copyright was 2020. But these were light—100 or so new words at a time. The 12th is a true overhaul. “A big shift,” said Sokolowski. #ThatWordChat
November 18, 2025 at 10:01 PM
The 11th did go through plate changes. The last copyright was 2020. But these were light—100 or so new words at a time. The 12th is a true overhaul. “A big shift,” said Sokolowski. #ThatWordChat
The 12th edition sold out on Amazon at launch. “A bit of a surprise hit,” Sokolowski said. Shipments are rolling in weekly. “This is the kind of book that makes you want to pick it up.” A coffee-table dictionary. #ThatWordChat
November 18, 2025 at 10:00 PM
The 12th edition sold out on Amazon at launch. “A bit of a surprise hit,” Sokolowski said. Shipments are rolling in weekly. “This is the kind of book that makes you want to pick it up.” A coffee-table dictionary. #ThatWordChat
The 12th lets the page breathe: larger type, proper leading, more white space, and more opaque, whiter paper. “It’s pleasant to look at.” #ThatWordChat
November 18, 2025 at 9:59 PM
The 12th lets the page breathe: larger type, proper leading, more white space, and more opaque, whiter paper. “It’s pleasant to look at.” #ThatWordChat