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Why are some words missing from the dictionary? (e.g., misandry)
Merriam-Webster's abridged
dictionaries, such as Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, include
a lexicon of the more common words used at home, in school, or in the office,
but exclude most words of low or infrequent usage and words that may be used
in specialized contexts. This abridgement is necessary to get the perfect size
for an everyday, desktop reference book. But exclusion from our abridged dictionaries
does not mean the word is not in any Merriam-Webster dictionary. Webster's Third New International
Dictionary, Unabridged includes many of the words
not included in the more compact and concise abridged editions.
All of the words entered
in Merriam-Webster dictionaries are selected on the basis of actual evidence
of usage; how much usage is required to gain entry into the dictionary depends
on many factors including the size of the finished dictionary. Before any word
can be considered for inclusion, we have to have proof not only that it has
existed in the language for a number of years, but also that it is frequently
used by all sorts of English writers (as indicated by how often it appears in
a variety of general-interest publications). Words that turn up relatively infrequently
or only in very specialized contexts may not be candidates for entry in an abridged
dictionary, but might well be included in the unabridged dictionary. For a more
detailed explanation of how words are chosen for inclusion in the dictionary,
see the article How does a word get into the dictionary.
People often ask us why
they can't find certain words in their dictionary, and the answer usually is
that they just need to check a larger dictionary. However, it is worth noting
that words are sometimes missing from the dictionary because they are too new,
too specialized, "nonlexical", or otherwise inappropriate for entry into the
dictionary. See the article If a word isn't in the
dictionary, does that mean it is not a real word? for more information.
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