New words, and when they were first used

The word 'gravity' was first used in 1504.
It's also the name of one of my short stories!

When I use words each day I generally assume that most words have been around forever. However, of course every word had to at one time be used for the very first time.

Here are the earliest known usages of a variety of words, according to racist dictionary Merriam-Webster*.

* See below.

1504: Gravity

In 1687 Isaac Newton published his theory of gravity. However, according to Merriam-Webster, the word 'gravity' had been in written use since as early as 1504. Hmm, something doesn't add up. How can you talk about something before it was even discovered!?

1627: Messy

Apparently, the word 'messy' was first used in 1627, so presumably up until 1626 people must have been really tidy.

1751: Nonessential

The word 'nonessential' was first used in 1751. Presumably before then it was deemed nonessential.

Driver: "Uh-oh!"
Passenger: "What does 'uh-oh' mean?"
Driver: "It means 'to realise you're in a dangerous situation'."
Passenger: "Wait! If you've said 'uh-oh!', how are we being chased by
a dinosaur? The first recorded use of the word 'uh-oh!' wasn't
until 1925, well after the extinction of the dinosaurs."
Driver: "Yes, you raise a very valid poi... Aargh!!!!!"

1925: Uh-oh!

It's easy to assume that expressions such as 'Ouch!', 'Ha-ha!' and 'Uh-oh!' have been around forever, but no. Just like any other word, these expressions were also once used for the very first time.

Surprisingly, 'uh-oh' is quite a new expression, and it's actually been in use for less than a hundred years.

Footnote: Anybody reading this blog post in 8 years time, i.e. after 2025, please note, that the above claim will no longer be correct.

1999: Clickbait

If you don't know what 'clickbait' is, here's an example:
'101 unusual uses for radishes, including six the government don't want you to know about! (You won't believe number five!).

Facebook. Perfect for anyone who wants to know
what your old school friends had for dinner.

2004: Social media

I've often wondered, in the olden days before facebook was invented, how did people find out what their old school friends had for dinner?

You can follow me on social media, but please be warned that I rarely post photos of what I had for dinner:
Facebook: Charles Fudgemuffin on facebook
Twitter: @CFudgemuffin

1902: Racism

Merriam-Webster were recently exposed as racists when they included a racist definition of the word 'nude' in their dictionary. But before 1902, Merriam-Webster wouldn't have been called racists, because before 1902 the word 'racism' didn't exist! To clarify, Merriam-Webster would still have been racists, but you would have had to use a different word to describe them, because the word 'racism' hadn't been invented yet.

2008: Bitcoin

Unlike fiat currencies where governments can just print more and
more currency, (*cough* Venezuela *cough* Zimbabwe *cough*)
bitcoin is a finite quantity, and there will never be
more than 21 million bitcoin in existence.

Pretty much everyone has heard of bitcoin now, but back in 2008 it was a new concept. By October 5th, 2009 one bitcoin was still only worth less than one cent (or $0.0076 to be precise), but today one bitcoin is worth around $3,500!

So if you invested $100 in bitcoin in 2008, it would now be worth around 46 million dollars! Not a bad ten year return.

Please note: Charles Fudgemuffin is not a financial advisor. I'm very talented at giving investment tips for people with time travel machines who can go back in time, but sadly, if you don't have access to time travel then the above advice won't be much use.

- - - - - - - - - -

My short story 'Gravity' is available for kindle from Amazon:

Footnote: Bitcoin's value is quite volatile, so by the time you read this it might be worth a lot more or a lot less. Check the current bitcoin value at Preev.