New words, and when they were first used (part 2)

I often like to recycle old ideas, and this week is no exception, as the Charles Fudgemuffin blog takes another look at a variety of words, and when they were first invented.

Regular muffins.
Well, regular in that they're not fudgemuffins,
but muffins which can talk are certainly not regular!

All of the following 'first use' dates were taken from racist dictionary Merriam-Webster*.

* See previous blog post.

1703: Muffin

When the word 'muffin' was first used in 1703, the word 'fudge' had already been in use for 29 years, with its first recorded use being in 1674. The word 'fudgemuffin', however, only came into common use fairly recently!

1551: Algebra

Any students who don't like algebra may wish they were born before 1551, because before then the word 'algebra' didn't exist!

End poverty. Invent time travel.

1516: Pauper

The first recorded use of the word 'pauper' was in 1516, so presumably everybody was rich before then.

1765: Free speech

The term 'free speech' was first used in 1765. Based on the current rate of developments, it will be retired from the English dictionary in approximately 2027.

Patient: "Is my blood pressure low?"
Doctor: "No, it's, er ... well, like low-pressure but only higher."

1816: Low-pressure

The first recorded use of 'low-pressure' was in 1816. There's nothing particularly remarkable about that, but rather bizarrely, the word 'high-pressure' didn't come into use until over a hundred years later, in 1925!

It seem very weird that it took people 109 years to think of a word to describe the opposite of low pressure!

1888: Dyslexia

The first recorded use of the word 'dyslexia' was in 1888. Before then it was referred to as dsylexai, dylsexia, dysxelia reading disorder.

"Say cheese."
"Bananas!"

2007: Hashtag

Hashtags feel like a long established part of online life, so it's incredible to think that before 2007 hashtags didn't exist! #RecentInvention #IDontExist

2002: Selfie

The word 'selfie' was first used in 2002, and it refers to a self-taken photo.

I recently overheard a girl on the local subway asking her friend to take a selfie of her. I don't know if she realises, but if a friend takes a selfie of you, it's not called a selfie. It's called a 'photo'.

You can find more words and the year they were first used in my original blog post:
New words, and when they were first used (part 1)