From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pseudodictionary is an online dictionary for made-up words. A user can submit a pseudo-word (or phrase) for inclusion, giving a description and an example.

Unlike other sites for new words, the pseudodictionary does not require common usage. It allows words that have been made up on the spot — for instance, the nonsense word “poijfeaw”: “To disintegrate in a deliciously slow manner.”

With its aims of making its submitters pseudofamous and keeping the site family friendly, the pseudodictionary has only a few guidelines: no swearing, no toilet humour, and no racist, sexist, or offensive language. Submittals are edited to meet the guidelines.

Possibly because of its editing policy and its “sign-in” requirement, the pseudodictionary does not have as many entries in its lexicon or get as many visitors as the most popular online dictionary, urbandictionary. However, as H.L. Mencken said, “No one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public.”

Copyright

The site’s Terms of Use state that “Submitted words are to be in the public domain,” and further state that “Pseudodictionary and pseudodictionary.com are trademarks. Pseudodictionary.com owns copy rights to the site layout and design and original graphics, as well as to the database of definitions (descriptions) and examples” [emphasis Wikipedia's]. Thus, while the words themselves may be in the public domain, the definition and examples given become the property of the site, obvious exceptions excluded.

The Terms of Use suggest that the site’s stand discouraging the use of copyrighted material and the use of existing words and phrases as submittals may be based on the eventual reusability of its database: “We may want to recompile and edit submittals for commercial use. We reserve the right to edit submittals before they are added to the pseudodictionary database.”

External links

• Pseudodictionary