Physicist uncovers dictionary error

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by Ian Anderson, Aug 16, 2010.

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  1. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    I have to admit I never use a dictionary as a source of information (except spelling) and neither did Stephan Hughes of Queensland University of Technology until he read a media account of a siphon. They had the definition wrong, and so did all but one of the dictionaries he checked (I checked the 2 dictionaries I have and both are wrong). The dictionaries say siphons use air pressure when in fact they use gravity induced hydrostatic pressure. The error dates back to the Oxford English Dictionary published in 1911.
    I found this error interesting and wonder if there are other errors.
     
  2. Lukeness

    Lukeness Member

    Maybe that's for when you blow into the hose to create pressure which gets the liquid flowing
     
  3. rickyjo

    rickyjo New Member

    That's fascinating! Which dictionary got it right? They could use that in an advertising campaign.
     
  4. BlueMason

    BlueMason Audaces fortuna juvat

    ..time to create the 'read the Dictionary and spot the error!' club! Clearly this chap has made it to "s" - so let's hit the t's!
     
  5. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    The Oxford Dictionary of English.

    A practical example of a siphon at*work
    Cookies Required

    Way back in time during an hydraulics course lab we demonstrated that siphons work in a vacuum as well as a wide range of pressures.
     
  6. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    When Dmitri Borgmann came to America from Germany in the early 2Oth century, he spoke now English. He bought a copy of the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary, and decided to read through it. By the time he got to the word "stalemate" he realized they had defined it wrong. He wrote to the publisher, who apologized, and said they'd fix it with the next edition.

    When the 2nd edition came out 25 years later, Borgmann eagerly looked into it, and they still had it wrong. He wrote again. They apologized again.

    Meanwhile, Borgmann wrote some of the most charming [my opinion, of course] books on the peculiarities of the English language. "Language on Vacation" seems to be the only one readily available.
     
  7. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Dictionary.com has it wrong too!


    si·phon
       
    /ˈsaɪfən/ Show Spelled[sahy-fuhn] Show IPA
    –noun
    1.
    a tube or conduit bent into legs of unequal length, for use in drawing a liquid from one container into another on a lower level by placing the shorter leg into the container above and the longer leg into the one below, the liquid being forced up the shorter leg and into the longer one by the pressure of the atmosphere.
     

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