Fri 18 Jan 2008
The Ubiquitous Dictionary
Posted by Daniel Fierro under New Products and Services, Dictionary.com
Ubiquitous, that is, assuming you take your mobile phone everywhere — and I do. A ubiquitous thesaurus, encyclopedia, and general reference library as well. How cool is that? (The quantification of cool is always a tricky matter, but in my professional opinion it’s pretty cool.) I’m not just tooting our own horn here. In fact I don’t even think we have a horn. Though we do have Guitar Hero. (Yes, Lexico is a fun place to work.) You should check it out. And here I am referring back to the mobile site, not Guitar Hero (but check that out as well if you’re so inclined). Just point your mobile browser to dictionary.com. It’s clean, fast and simple — the very antithesis of my blog entry. Much better than our previous mobile site, which I note only because I led its development back in 2000, and I’m thrilled to be so soundly one-upped. Kudos to our technical team! And to our users, enjoy!
January 23rd, 2008 at 11:42 am
ubiquitous is from Latin ubique ‘everywhere’ and ubique means ‘in any place whatsoever, anywhere and everywhere’; ubiquity was first in English, then ubiquitous
January 31st, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Funny, I was just looking up the word “ubiquitous” and there it was…
February 1st, 2008 at 1:14 pm
This is predicated on one large stipulation of course, that being: Where ever you take your mobile device, there will be access to this site.
Say for instance, the middle of the Amazon rain forest, or perhaps 20 nautical miles off the coast of San Diego, California, USA, or even within the confines of many Federal buildings this apparent ubiquity is rather missing.
Still, the effort is appriciated.
February 4th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
It is my understanding that Lexico is not currently hiring. Regardless, I am still curious as to what kind of prerequisites one must have to be considered for a position there . Are employees of the company mostly highly educated linguists and semanticists ?
February 8th, 2008 at 6:59 am
Love the word Ubiquitous!
Ubiquitous cell phones says it all.
February 8th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
i realy like this so much
February 9th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
Yea! I’m not the only ADHD writer on the net who is able to energetically tie together random thoughts (quantification of cool, horns, Guitar Hero…) to the amusement of his/her audience! And speaking of the quantification of cool, I asked a friend today, “How many different synonyms are there for the word cool?” We came up with an impressive list.
Wish I could afford access to the mobile net. If I could, I would gladly check out these ubiquitous resources! Thanks for bringing them to our attention.
TGG
February 9th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
I would like to thank Dictionary.com for for elivating my word power, for a single word a day offers great strenths over months and years.
Kudos.
February 12th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Lexico,
You pretty much rock my world. I use Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com for nearly every work I write. In Japan, we are overdependent on our mobile internet, so I offer my deepest thanks to you for improving the mobile site. It rocks, and so do you! Kudos times one million~
‘Regards,
BT
February 15th, 2008 at 7:44 am
Long time user, first time caller, er, blog-responder. The mobile site is fantastic. I want to plug, too, the Dictionary.com sidebar utility for Windows Vista. The only thing left to add now is a microchip which could be implanted so I could take Dictionary.com with me into the shower for those brain-itches that occur in non-mobile environments.
February 16th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
I just wanted to say thanks for updating the mobile dictionary. I love your PC site and was struggling to find a good mobile dictionary for my phone. Now I have one.
February 24th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Kudos.
February 29th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
I just love making up words when I’m rolling.
March 2nd, 2008 at 6:26 pm
cool, what r u doing up so early?
March 4th, 2008 at 5:55 am
I’d rather mobilize my pocket dictionary.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Please allow me to use the dictionary. Thanks.
March 15th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Sounds great - it often happens that I just cant remember the meaning of some word or another and there just isn’t any computer or physical dictionary available. So this is great for me as long as I remember to bring my cellphone.
Regards from Sweden
March 15th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
I love the word “Ubiquitous.” If I ever get mobile phone, I know I’ll be visiting you guys often.
March 16th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Don’t use the word ‘Kudos’. It’s not a cool word.
March 16th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
First.
March 17th, 2008 at 4:18 am
Laughed out loud at the disjointed nature of the post. Very humble self-referentiality, dear friend.
Glad to see the blog up!
March 18th, 2008 at 7:39 am
That’s really cool!
March 21st, 2008 at 7:22 am
Maybe there are no responses because you are dealing in the realm of readers and high expectations. In this case, they know that being mobile or at ones phone is not the same as being or “ubiquitous”. Now, it may be interesting that my peripheral vision led me here in search of a new word, so this was a tangent from your blog which may fill that search. But full circle,(see tangent) the word I need is about “them” (the word I need) being everywhere but not really knowing what they are or of they speak. Obamacrits? In this case, I have yet to exclude myself and hope to exclude the namesake. Hypocrists? I should hope for not naught, nor Buckleyites. As often happens, the word may exist, we just have to search ourselves…then google. But then is it maybe lexiclub or dyslexiknife? Or Steele oneself?
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:46 am
i like it… its fun
March 30th, 2008 at 3:08 am
Ubiquitous doesn’t mean “available to be used anywhere”, but “existing or being everywhere, esp. at the same time.”
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ubiquitous
Your mobile phone dictionary couldn’t be everywhere at the same time, but could only be at one place at a time.
Mobile phone dictionaries could only be described as “ubiquitous” if lots of people had one.
Perhaps you meant “ever available”.
April 1st, 2008 at 2:05 pm
had to go look up ubiquitous and antithesis, brb…
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:44 pm
i luv this website it heped me aloy thank u
April 7th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
So is this blog saying that I can get a dictionary and thesaurus on my phone?
April 8th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
heyyy thiss iss a cool sitee yalll ,
April 9th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
LOL [AKA] LAUGH OUT LOUD DANG BRUTHER……
P.S LUV 4 EVER AND EVER=]
April 11th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
man i know this word from my biology class when talking about ubiquitous organisms!
April 12th, 2008 at 6:19 am
How do we govern a phenomena that many may consider to be ubiquitous?
April 26th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
To Debbie,comment # 19—PFFFFT(!) To you! (Just kidding, though!) “Kudos” IS a cool word! :o) (I love when people use it, but where I live, I seem to be in the minority of those with more than a high school education.)
Which brings me to dicionary.com—I recently returned to college for my Master’s in Education, and am taking many IT courses as well. I have been writing paper after paper, and when I am unable to think of yet another synonym for rutabaga or juggler, I turn to dictionary.com! It has helped keep my papers fresh and entertaining—not to mention well-received by my instructors (I have gotten 100% on 19 out of my last 20 papers; yay!)!! “KUDOS” to all and sundry at dictionary.com, and thanks ever so much!
P.S. “Ubiquitous” is one of my favorite words! “Onomatopaeia” IS my very favorite, however.
May 6th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
I was just saying last night at a concert that the ubiquitous smoke from people’s cigarettes added a foggy dramatic effect to the already striking light show!
Perhaps they meant the ‘omnipresent cell phone’ … even then it doesn’t sound right. I don’t think I would ever use ‘ubiquitous’ to describe my cell phone
May 11th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Every so often, a new word through common usage becomes an addition in dictionaries…so why not a popular new usage for an existing word? Cell phones are nearly everywhere, my having seen in the latest edition of National Geographic, a picture of a Tibetan monk called the “scientist” by his peers because why? He’s always on the cell phone! (as in the picture, in Tibetan highlands)
May 14th, 2008 at 7:44 am
Is there a nod in the title to “the ubiquitous chip”? And to all those very literal people who posted before me: I have always thought that “ubiquitous” can refer to something being so widespread that it seems to be everywhere. Clearly mobile telephones are not everywhere, let alone the services needed to use the mobile dictionary on one. But nor are chips: either the printed kind or the culinary variety.
May 19th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
I’m with LJR, language is often vague - our own ideas and concepts regarding a word sometimes quite different from someone else’s yet both within the realms of an acceptable usage. In fact, being able to use language in new and interesting ways (coining terms, neologisms etc)is one of the things that *can* make it exciting. Indeed often the first couple of times we use words it seems we are merely quoting the person we heard it off or read it from (I believe it was Bakhtin who first expressed this concept) and because of this it is quite easy for us to slightly misunderstand the usage. However, even by slightly mis-using a word we are still capable of communicating if we are and people assume we are being conscientious in conversation (see Grice). Indeed, even after reading a dictionary definition it is possible to ‘mis-use’ a word by placing differing emphases on particular subtleties that a word may have. Again, as long as you are being reasonable with your word choice people can work out what you are going on about. The choice of ubiquitous above clearly adds a poetic ring to the whole matter, acting as trope, providing a more artistic picture of technology today. Also, being as it is marketing for a dictionary based product, it seems felicitous that an unusual word should be used.
May 23rd, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Ah. “Ubiquitous” is one of my all time favorite words so that’s what caught my attention then I learned more about this fantastic idea. Great work!
May 29th, 2008 at 7:28 am
Hola! I love this website! Its so much easier than carrying around a real dictionary. I have always been a fan of the great thing we all like to call “thesaurus” but now in class every morning we look up the word of the day! My students love it and I also text message all my friends the “word of the day” every morning! Thanks again!
May 30th, 2008 at 7:06 am
In response to Kasey Stotts, with Nigel in mind, and with my tongue firmly in cheek, what on earth is a “real” dictionary? What if I printed out the whole content of www.dictionary.com and carried it around in a large briefcase? Would it be more real than when I viewed it on a computer screen?
May 30th, 2008 at 7:34 am
its good to use… learnt many thg…thanks for yuor fantastic idea….
June 4th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
I think that cell phones can certainly be described as ubiquitous now, but I don’t know that cell-phone dictionaries can be.
That is, one might say “The now-ubiquitous cell phone has led to the demise of the land-line.”
Or that, “The availability of a dictionary on one’s cell phone is quickly becoming a ubiquitous feature.”
June 11th, 2008 at 10:47 am
I am very pleased to have discovered the Ubiquitous Dictionary. The fact that many other commentators on the idea of whether this dictionary should be referred to as “ubiquitous” or not has left a very disturbing and repulsive taste in my mouth. Let us not debate over the best possible utterance with which to characterize this impressive milestone that Lexico has stumbled upon so gracefully. KUDOS to all that are in agreement with the many others who also agree that the Ubiquitous Dictionary is indeed an incredibly impressive instrument invented in inexorably intricate intractable instances intended intensively in irregular incidents.
June 24th, 2008 at 1:12 am
Sometimes a word is used which seems to be being wrongly used to me and I often look it up on dictionary.com which most usually confirms that the use which has “jarred” is indeed a recognised usage. But sometimes I continue to feel that the usage, however widespread, is at best misguided, at worst just plain wrong. Though I do not wish to open a complete hornet’s nest, could there not be a place on this page that gives users the opportunity to query meanings that are given? An example: every time I hear the word “humane” I get the strong feeling that it should be used only to refer to how non-humans are being treated physically and that where it refers to the treatment (especially non-physical treatment) of a human another word such as kind, just, fair and so on should be used so as to be more specific as to which desirable aspect of humanity is being referred to. One entry mentions that a judge can be humane. The antonym would surely be harsh not inhumane, and the antonym of harsh is surely more like gentle (or soft) than humane.
July 4th, 2008 at 2:11 am
hi
i found some latest and useful information on online dictionaries. i am using dream dictionary now a days. it was really a great experience to going through your blog. there are some useful links in the comments as well.
July 10th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
It’s amazing how many spelling errors there are on this page, when we’re talking about dictionaries.
July 15th, 2008 at 5:22 am
I just ran across the word “ubiquitous” in a separate article and i wanted to look it up. I did’nt know it was such a popular word.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:56 am
Ubiquitous and omnipresent - I remember learning those words together, in school. The meanings are similar, yet different!
July 19th, 2008 at 3:04 am
I know we’re talking about “ubiquitous” here, but I have long had a question about the proper use of the word meriod.
For example, which is correct….
“She knows a meriod of words”
or
“She knows meriod words”
I think it is the latter. Could both be correct?
I’ve heard it used both ways by news anchors on TV.
Any thoughts?
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:23 am
@ Pam,
I dont think that *meriod* is actually a word. Perhaps you mean *myriad* (n.- of an indefinitely great number; innumerable)??
In that case, your first sentece would be correct. *Myriad* is a noun, so you need to have *a* before it to express quantity
- *A* definition- one(used before plural nouns that are preceded by a quantifier singular in form) ex: a hundred men
It’s like saying *I saw bear!* instead of *I saw a bear!*. Just poor grammar, and the sentence sounds funny without the *a*.
PS. News anchors often get things wrong
July 30th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
It is a great comfort to me emotionally and intellectually to realize that, despite the evident fact that there are a myriad of ubiquitous phenomenon in existence (notwithstanding the problematic nature of that particular concept, philosophically), people still still actively choose (pro-active is a non-word that I despise with a passion, don’t you?) to display individuality and originality, some might even be tempted to say, creativity, on a forum such as this. Well done to all.
August 4th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
To the person whose blog preceds mine, why do you despise the word “proactive?” I’m interested.
Regardless,
The ubiquity of blogging is easily rocognizable. It is a great way to express one’s thoughts and ideas in a comfortable setting. For most, I think, the comfort emanates from the impersonal nature of the communication. Whether or not my guess is accurate, I rather enjoy jousting and playing in the realm of thought.
August 6th, 2008 at 8:38 am
To Michael
I agree with you completely. “Pro-active” is a word that makes me cringe. It is used by the same sort of annoying twerps who use “trial” as a verb. Please stop it.
August 10th, 2008 at 5:33 am
Ladies and gentlemen, WTF?
I should say to those commenting on the alleged misuse of the word ubiquitous, chill! The writer was referring to the dictionary, not the phone. Damn!
The rest? Semantics without style, atop style without substance. Sound and fury, y’know.
To any and all laboring under the misconception that they are writers of any measurable caliber, see you on the supermarket shelves.
Oh, lest I forget, a word to the wise…
…
… (this space intentionally left blank)
August 20th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
I tend to dislike the personalities of people who use the word “proactive” (although I would personally lump them in the category of people who were using “impact” as a verb in the transitive sense 10 years ago). However, I think it is a perfectly legitimate word, with clear meaning. Pro (before) as opposed to re (after). To be proactive is to act before, rather than after (reactive). An important thing to remember is that every word, at some point, was initially used by a certain subset of the general population before becoming ubiquitous in common language. I guess those early adopters are just being proactive…
August 22nd, 2008 at 5:20 am
Ron Newby, “humane” applies to the qualities of a human (normally towards humans or animals), not the object of such a human’s activity, harsh or otherwise.
Helen, WTF indeed. If the caliber of a writer could be measured, don’t you think computers would have taken over the job from those whose hope is for their printed works to appear on supermarket shelves? And why do you need to say “any and” when you say “all”? Superfluous or WTF? Or should I say style over…?
Randy, I salute you from afar. You may be interested to know (if you hadn’t noticed) that www.dictionary.com offers “retroactive” as an antonym of “proactive”.
August 26th, 2008 at 1:48 am
I would agree with Randy, except, most commonly proactive is not used in the correct sense. That is, the ‘pro’ is meant to portray a preemptive measure, whereas the common usage doesn’t distinguish between prevention and/or reaction to stimuli.
August 27th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
ubiquity or not to ubiquity
that is an all over the place question
omnipresence is Devinne
but how about the mind
can it be in different locations at the same time
i don’t know about yours
what about mine
is it everywhere or no where
why are we here
do we dare go there, go where
what about fear
i’m with you on that
am i ubiquitous
August 29th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
I love the word! I recently learned that word in my SAT prep class. When I saw the word I felt smart because I knew what it meant. I have a friend that’s really ubiquitous and it’s a little creepy sometimes lol he comes out of nowhere.
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:17 am
“Ubi,ibi est.” This means “where is, there is”. Briefly, the etymology of UBIQUITY, and eureka, the dice has been cast!