When did author become a verb in general use?

I can (just about) cope with "to author a web-page" as a specific technical term relating to HTML but surely not ...
to author a book - what's wrong with write!

jmh (= old fogey, or is it fogy)

Yep, that rubs me the wrong way, too. But my very (least) favorite is "to impact."

fellow fogey (future journeyman)

Jo,
I loved 'wrong with write'! Oh, the alliteration! Oh, the
double-entendre!
Another one I can think of, AnnaS., is "to effect".
And, though this is not a verb, I can't stand it when someone says they're going to use "preventative" measures.
Grr from another fogy. (Goodgold, thanks to you I DID
check this one! Fogey is listed as a variant of fogy.)

*jumping in before the guys do* ... Jackie, I hear you on the generalized misuse of "effect" as a verb, but it also can be one, to wit: "effect change."

Now it's time to read all the references on "fogy" vs "fogey."

Counting down to journeyman status,
AnnaS.

first, I thought y'all were okay with being lumped in with "the guys". <g>

second, it's really easy to take shots at the verbing of nouns -- I know, 'cuz it's one of my pet peeves. But there are instances where the practice has made for a richer language. To take a couple of instances from Sport (a guy thing): 1) in baseball, if you hit a ball that gets caught on the fly (a fly ball) you are said to have flied out -- you have not flown out (like the irregular verb) because the verb comes from the noun (which obviously has no inflected forms) and you just add -ed in the normal way 2) in hockey, if you get mugged by the goon with a high-stick you've been high-sticked (not high-stuck); same sort of thing. A non-sport example of this is grandstanded (not grandstood).

So these are all examples of one sort of verbing of nouns which adds to the language in a positive way.


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Well, another thing, I'm sure we could go on about "affect" being used when it really should be "effect" forever.

Are we OK to be lumped in with the guys?

The jury is still out. I know Phillip doesn't like "ladettes". We're still in decision mode.

>But my very (least) favorite is "to impact."

Mine also; and now I have to tell you (this is going to hurt me more than it hurts you) that it appears from the etymology that the verb came first, from the Latin impactus. This verb has been nouned!

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>this verb has been nouned..
Which verb? the original also made it into English: impinge

>Which verb? the original also made it into English: impinge

The point being that the verb form of impact came waaaaay before the noun (first recorded in 1781). The fact that impactus is the past participle of impingere, while interesting, is academic.

For those with an interest, the word history can be found at http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=impact

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Whre does impacted fit in?

It's used here (not sure about elsewhere) in the sense of "impacted wisdom tooth"

I do like the word "ladette". I judge each individaul ladette on their own merits! (and I like guys, there very good for keep my tent up.)

Sorry that should read I don't like the word ladette.

There is a usage which I really, really dislike. It's definition might not be in the dictionary yet but someone, somewhere will be using it:

Authorize (authorise) - meaning - to write (a book)
(not where it means official or approved)

You could have the sentence "I've just finished authorizing an authorized biography".

jmh (fogette=fogey+ladette)

>fogette=fogey+ladette

may we just refer to you guys as OFs? (a genderless, multi-purpose [and apostrophe-free] acronym ;)

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>OFs???

Before we get too embroiled in this leptology I'll collect views from my partners in crime. We would not like the order changed to FO unless we decided to set up an umbrella group - UFO.

>umbrella organization UFO [oh lord, don't get me started]

Uxorious Fraternal Organization?
Unflexanimous Fogies Obstruct?!
Umbrellas For Obstipation!!

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