"Levidrome" -- a new word coined
6-Year-Old Invents Word. You Can Help Him Get It Added To The Dictionary
Here's how you can help six-year-old Levi Budd get the word he invented - levidrome - added to the dictionary.
A six-year-old just invented a new word. Campaign to help him get it added to dictionaries is viral
A six-year-old has invented a new word and now, a campaign to get the word in the dictionary is viral. Canada's Levi Budd came up with the word "levidrome" to describe a word that spells another word when spelt backwards. Truth be told, our favourite levidrome is "stressed" which is "desserts" spelt backwards. Other examples include loop and pool, flow and wolf, stop and pots and finally, rats and star.
While it's surprising that there's not a word for this already, the Internet is rallying behind young Levi after an editor at Oxford Dictionaries suggested the word could only be added to dictionaries after it was used commonly over a period of time.
Levi's father, Robert Lucky Budd, in a short video on YouTube explained the genesis of the word levidrome.
One day, sitting in the backseat of the car, Levi noticed the word "stop" on a stop sign read "pots" in reverse.
The precocious kid then asked his parents what to call a word that spells another word backwards.
His parents had no answer.
Turns out, there is no term for this. (And before you rush to say palindrome, that's a word which spells the exact same word in reverse, such as: "wow", "noon", "mom", "civic" and "redder".)
Actor William Shatner of Star Trek fame petitioned Oxford Dictionaries to add Levi's word to the dictionary.
"Alas," Oxford Dictionaries lamented in a blog post, "levidrome still needs to demonstrate widespread and sustained use over time before dictionaries can formally add it to its pages, but (William) Shatner, no doubt, helped boost the coinage's signal."
Rebecca Jaganaru, an assistant editor with Oxford, replied to Levi on Twitter promising, "If, in a year or so, lots of people are still using your word, it might well get into our dictionary."
While it's surprising that there's not a word for this already, the Internet is rallying behind young Levi after an editor at Oxford Dictionaries suggested the word could only be added to dictionaries after it was used commonly over a period of time.
Levi's father, Robert Lucky Budd, in a short video on YouTube explained the genesis of the word levidrome.
One day, sitting in the backseat of the car, Levi noticed the word "stop" on a stop sign read "pots" in reverse.
The precocious kid then asked his parents what to call a word that spells another word backwards.
His parents had no answer.
Turns out, there is no term for this. (And before you rush to say palindrome, that's a word which spells the exact same word in reverse, such as: "wow", "noon", "mom", "civic" and "redder".)
Dearest @OxfordWords I just sent you an email about #Levidromes - a word that when spelled backwards, turns into a different yet valid english word for addition to your dictionary. Please see: youtu.be/jpZ3bh1R6Kk for more info on this new exciting word!Bill
"Alas," Oxford Dictionaries lamented in a blog post, "levidrome still needs to demonstrate widespread and sustained use over time before dictionaries can formally add it to its pages, but (William) Shatner, no doubt, helped boost the coinage's signal."
Rebecca Jaganaru, an assistant editor with Oxford, replied to Levi on Twitter promising, "If, in a year or so, lots of people are still using your word, it might well get into our dictionary."
source:ndtv.com
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