Nonstarters

Most coined words die with their coiner. Failure to attract users is an occupational hazard of neologizing. In the world of neology, nonstarters are the norm. Even coined words that enjoy a brief run seldom last. Thinks of this as Sniglet syndrome (for the many cleverly coined “sniglets” that didn’t catch on). When one searches the word “coined” online, it’s striking how many neologisms that at one time looked promising have disappeared. After burning brightly for a time, they fizzled out. Like seasonal kiosks, such terms pop up, do some trade, then vanish. They prove to be pop-ups. New words rooted in current events are particularly likely to become pop-ups (e.g. the onetime “word of the year,” Y2K). Terms that are time and context-specific seldom have lasting utility. Even success coining one word doesn’t guarantee success coining another. Mencken did far better with Bible belt than with ecdysiast (stripteaser).