Google (verb)
Encyclopedia
The transitive verb
to google (also spelled to Google) refers to using the Google search engine
to obtain information on the Web
. However, it can also be used as a general term for searching the internet using any search engine, not just Google. A neologism arising from the popularity and dominance of the eponymous search engine
, the American Dialect Society
chose it as the "most useful word of 2002." It was officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary
on June 15, 2006, and to the eleventh edition of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary
in July 2006. The first recorded usage of google used as a gerund
, thus supposing the verb, was on July 8, 1998, by Google co-founder Larry Page
himself, who wrote on a mailing list: "Have fun and keep googling!"
Fearing the genericizing
and potential loss of its trademark
, Google has discouraged use of the word as a verb, particularly when used as a synonym for general web searching. On February 23, 2003, the company sent a cease and desist
letter to Paul McFedries
, creator of Word Spy, a website that tracks neologisms. 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". 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"). On 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."
Transitive verb
In syntax, a transitive verb is a verb that requires both a direct subject and one or more objects. The term is used to contrast intransitive verbs, which do not have objects.-Examples:Some examples of sentences with transitive verbs:...
to google (also spelled to Google) refers to using the Google search engine
Google search
Google or Google Web Search is a web search engine owned by Google Inc. Google Search is the most-used search engine on the World Wide Web, receiving several hundred million queries each day through its various services....
to obtain information on the Web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
. However, it can also be used as a general term for searching the internet using any search engine, not just Google. A neologism arising from the popularity and dominance of the eponymous search engine
Search engine
A search engine is an information retrieval system designed to help find information stored on a computer system. The search results are usually presented in a list and are commonly called hits. Search engines help to minimize the time required to find information and the amount of information...
, the American Dialect Society
American Dialect Society
The American Dialect Society, founded in 1889, is a learned society "dedicated to the study of the English language in North America, and of other languages, or dialects of other languages, influencing it or influenced by it." The Society publishes the academic journal, American Speech...
chose it as the "most useful word of 2002." It was officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
on June 15, 2006, and to the eleventh edition of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary
Merriam-Webster
Merriam–Webster, which was originally the G. & C. Merriam Company of Springfield, Massachusetts, is an American company that publishes reference books, especially dictionaries that are descendants of Noah Webster’s An American Dictionary of the English Language .Merriam-Webster Inc. has been a...
in July 2006. The first recorded usage of google used as a gerund
Gerund
In linguistics* As applied to English, it refers to the usage of a verb as a noun ....
, thus supposing the verb, was on July 8, 1998, by Google co-founder Larry Page
Larry Page
Lawrence "Larry" Page is an American computer scientist and internet entrepreneur who, with Sergey Brin, is best known as the co-founder of Google. As of April 4, 2011, he is also the chief executive of Google, as announced on January 20, 2011...
himself, who wrote on a mailing list: "Have fun and keep googling!"
Fearing the genericizing
Genericized trademark
A genericized trademark is a trademark or brand name that has become the colloquial or generic description for, or synonymous with, a general class of product or service, rather than as an indicator of source or affiliation as intended by the trademark's holder...
and potential loss of its trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
, Google has discouraged use of the word as a verb, particularly when used as a synonym for general web searching. On February 23, 2003, the company sent a cease and desist
Cease and desist
A cease and desist is an order or request to halt an activity and not to take it up again later or else face legal action. The recipient of the cease-and-desist may be an individual or an organization....
letter to Paul McFedries
Paul McFedries
Paul McFedries is a Canadian author of more than 40 computer books that have sold 3 million copies worldwide. He has been programming since he was a teenager in the mid-1970s, and is the president of Logophilia Limited, a technical writing company...
, creator of Word Spy, a website that tracks neologisms. 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". 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
Google search
Google or Google Web Search is a web search engine owned by Google Inc. Google Search is the most-used search engine on the World Wide Web, receiving several hundred million queries each day through its various services....
to seek online information" (a concern which did not deter the Oxford editors from preserving the history of both "cases"). On 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."
See also
- Genericized trademarkGenericized trademarkA genericized trademark is a trademark or brand name that has become the colloquial or generic description for, or synonymous with, a general class of product or service, rather than as an indicator of source or affiliation as intended by the trademark's holder...
- Googlebomb
- Grep
- Photoshop (verb), a similar neologism referring to digital photo editing