I think axiom should fit, but according to its official definition, an axiom is a statement that is taken to be true, and as far as I know, a word can’t make an statement by its own.

  • fubo@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    Words aren’t created by definitions.

    Definitions are summaries of the usage of words.

    Usage comes first, not definition. Dictionaries, glossaries, etc. are a commentary on usage, attempting to explain to new users of a word what the other people already using that word mean by it.

    If someone starts calling some teddy-bears “squee-bears”, they don’t have to have a written-out definition in mind before they do this. Maybe later, if the term “squee-bear” catches on, someone will write down a definition for it, as a summary of how they’ve observed the term being used.