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circular neologisms
Jun. 8th, 2004 05:23 pmOK, so many years ago someoen who writes equipment specifications coined the counterfeit verb "ruggedize" meaning to make something (usually electronic equipment) rugged and able to withstand rough transport and use.
Now, when people came around to describing something that had been subjected to this process of making something rugged, what word did they decide to mint? "Ruggedized" of course.
Folks, if ruggedizing is the process of making something rugged, why, after doing that, isn't the thing, well, rugged, instead of "ruggedized" which is thewhelp of a bastard child fathered off of "rugged" to begin with?
Now, when people came around to describing something that had been subjected to this process of making something rugged, what word did they decide to mint? "Ruggedized" of course.
Folks, if ruggedizing is the process of making something rugged, why, after doing that, isn't the thing, well, rugged, instead of "ruggedized" which is thewhelp of a bastard child fathered off of "rugged" to begin with?
