when is a word a *real* word?

[Mark I Halpern <Mark_Halpern -at- SMTPGATE -dot- TESSERACT -dot- COM>]

      Colleagues,

         The discussion about "functionality" has become, in part, a
      discussion about what dictionaries the word does or does not appear
      in; now the question has been raised whether its absence from the OED
      is significant, or is just a sign that the OED hasn't been revised
      recently, and so on.

         I think that we professional writers should be more sophisticated
      about dictionaries; I offer this anecdote to promote such a healthy
      sophistication.

         A couple of generations ago, the best-known teacher of English in
      America was the Harvard professor, George Lyman Kittredge.  He had
      edited a one-volume Shakepeare that is still in use today, was a
      consultant to Merriam-Webster -- in short, The Authority.  The story
      goes that once, after a lecture, a student approached him and said,
      "Professor Kittredge, I believe you misused the word <<fill with any
      word of your choice>> in your lecture." Those within earshot gasped at
      the student's temerity, and expected that Kittredge, or perhaps God,
      would destroy him with a thunderbolt.  But Kittredge took it in good
      part, and said, "Well, let's consult the dictionary." So they did, and
      the dictionary supported the student!  At which Kittredge remarked,
      "How interesting!  I must remember to change that the next time I
      revise the dictionary."

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