Smelly question

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Okay, so the question itself doesn't stink, but it does have to do with stench. A friend of mine and I were carrying on a conversation, during which I used the word "malodiferous." He got confused and consulted www.m-w.com, only to be greeted with a "word not found" type response. After further research, he decided that I really meant "malodorous," which I did not mean; I meant malodiferous.
I understand that the two are synonymous, but upon consulting a few different online dictionaries, I came up blank as well, thus understanding my friend's confusion. Running a google search yielded only 9 results, none of which were dictionary-related.
So I guess my question is this: can anyone verify that I'm not losing my mind? To prove such, all one would need to do is verify that "malodiferous" is actually a word. I know it is, and you know it is . . . but where's the dictionaritorial proof?
Thanks for your help in advance.
Sincerely,
Chris McCabe (yes, I know "dictionaritorial" is not a word, but come on . . . shouldn't it be?!)

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]Okay, so the question itself doesn't stink, but it does have to do with stench. A friend of mine and ... is, and you know it is . . . but where's the dictionaritorial proof? Thanks for your help in advance.[/nq]
You may regret that advance expression of gratitude. I don't think you're going to get much help here. Not only are you unlikely to discover that you are right, you are also unlikely to discover that you are wrong. As Bill Clinton never said, "It all depends on what the meaning of 'word' is," and that is a very vexing question.

Consider "irregardless," "humongous," and "cyberloon." The first is usually described as an error, the second is a facetious coinage, and the third is something out of my imagination (and not in any online English dictionary, according to onelook.com). But all three of them are understood by many if not most native English speakers. So you tell me which of those three are words?
Your "malodiferous" is easily understood. I think any reasonably literate English speaker would be able to spell it and use it in a sentence. But the lexicographers haven't notice it yet, just as they haven't noticed "cyberloon." (Google returns 94 instances of "cyberloon," but many look like duplicates.)
I'd say it's a word, but that just reflects my attitude toward words, not any underlying "truth." Wait and see what other say. You may be enlightened, even if you don't get a solid answer.

Bob Lieblich
Idiom savant (on my good days)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Okay, so the question itself doesn't stink, but it does have to do with stench. A friend of mine and ... is, and you know it is . . . but where's the dictionaritorial proof? Thanks for your help in advance.[/nq]
I suggest that you might make a personal effort to develop the particular self-analysis that would allow you to entertain the possibility that when you are unable to locate any evidence that what you fancy to be "a word" is indeed so, that you might be mistaken that you may have just made the word up.

When you lost the "-or" of "odor", you lost all connection with the idea of smell. If the word you made up did, indeed, exist, it might mean "containing bad hatred." Whatever that might mean.

This would also provide an easy explanation of why your friend was confused.
\P. Schultz

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Okay, so the question itself doesn't stink, but it does have to do with stench. A friend of mine and ... actually a word. I know it is, and you know it is . . . but where's the dictionaritorial proof?[/nq]
Look up "odoriferous."

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Okay, so the question itself doesn't stink, but it does ... but where'sthe dictionaritorial proof? Thanks for your help in advance.[/nq]
[nq:1]You may regret that advance expression of gratitude. I don't think you're going to get much help here. Not only ... Clinton never said, "It all depends on what the meaning of 'word' is," and that is a very vexing question.[/nq]
no no . . . i'm definitely grateful for any information, whether it proves me right or proves me wrong.
[nq:1]Consider "irregardless," "humongous," and "cyberloon." The first is usually described as an error, the second is a facetious coinage, and ... underlying "truth." Wait and see what other say. You may be enlightened, even if you don't get a solid answer.[/nq]
Thank you for your advice, Robert. After reading some of the other replies, I forgot to mention that I seem to think that I'm misspelling it. Again, doing a google search does yield some hits, so I know I'm not the only one using it, but I seem to be one of the few that's misspelling it as well.

)

Usenet · Answer

To infer that I don't allow for the possibility of me being wrong is a rather bold assertion on your part.
That's all I have to say about that.
As for it being an actual word, I think a quick run through google will elicit enough hits to merit lexical status, regardless of whether it's a widely accepted word yet or not. As I posted in my reply to Mr. Lieblich, it is possible that I'm misspelling the word.
Or, now that I think about it . . . but that's another whole post in and of itself, which I will post right now.
Dammit, I hate it when I forget the small details!

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Okay, so the question itself doesn't stink, but it does have to do with stench. A friend of mine and ... Sincerely, Chris McCabe (yes, I know "dictionaritorial" is not a word, but come on . . . shouldn't it be?!)[/nq]
You have got several things mixed up.
The "mal" prefix on a word usually means something is bad. So your word must mean odiferous in a bad way. But the dictionaries contain no such word as "odiferous."
There are two somewhat similar words for things that produce an odor: odorous and odoriferous. They mean the same thing, essentially I can't see why anybody ever coined odoriferous. You can stick "mal" on the front of odorous and get "malodorous," which is a fairly common word for something that gives off a bad smell. "Malodiferous" isn't in the dictionaries, either, and a good thing that is.
I think the word you want is "malodorous." It's neat and clean, while the word you cite, "malodiferous," seems pretty stinky to me.

You say:
[nq:1]. . . "malodiferous" is actually a word. I know it is, and you know it is[/nq]
Actually, you may know it is, but I don't know it is. In fact, given the data I've seen so far, I'd say it isn't. But, as Bob said, it all depends on what the word "word" means.
Carter Jefferson
http://carterj.homestead.com/

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]To infer that I don't allow for the possibility of me being wrong is a rather bold assertion on your part. [/nq]
Well, it was based on your manifest conviction that you were right, and that the task that you assigned to everyone was to go about proving that. You didn't seem to consider the possibility that you were all mixed up. Which turned out to be the case.

\P. Schultz

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]... (Google returns 94 instances of "cyberloon," but many look like duplicates.)[/nq]
Those duplicates you found sound to be mighty suspicious. Have you been spamming all of the newsgroups with 'cyberloon' just to fool Google?

wrmst rgrds
Robin Bignall
Quiet part of Hertfordshire
England

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Okay, so the question itself doesn't stink, but it does ... word, but come on . . . shouldn't it be?!)[/nq]
[nq:1]You have got several things mixed up. ... But the dictionaries contain no such word as "odiferous."[/nq]
COD 10:
odiferous /@U"dIf

r@s/
· adj. variant spelling of odoriferous.

wrmst rgrds
Robin Bignall
Quiet part of Hertfordshire
England

Usenet · Answer

What a nice Christmas Eve present. Thank you, Robin, once again.

)
Chris McCabe

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