A Critical Problem – This photo gives me the creeps

Re:A Critical Problem – This photo gives me the creeps by Terr_ on Wednesday August 09, 2023 @04:14AM (#37059939)

Interestingly, the -oid suffix usually refers to things that only resemble the thing, so an andr-oid is not really a man, a meteor-oid is not really a meteor, and fact-oid... might not really be a fact.

However the really amusing bit is that that everybody can agree--for different reasons--that:

> Here is a factoid: A factoid is a small fact.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:A Critical Problem – This photo gives me the creeps by danielbln on Wednesday August 09, 2023 @04:22AM (#37059985)

The correct word would be a factlet, but factoid has been defacto taken its place. The fluidity of language, I suppose.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:A Critical Problem – This photo gives me the creeps by Terr_ on Wednesday August 09, 2023 @04:25AM (#37059996)

I wonder if anyone's done studies to measure and quantify the "distance" of slang (in years or generations) before an older person feels instinctive linguistic revulsion...

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:A Critical Problem – This photo gives me the creeps by marcosdumay on Wednesday August 09, 2023 @02:51PM (#37066927)

It's a continuous value, that is visibly different from zero almost immediately; children will experience it in a few contexts.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:A Critical Problem – This photo gives me the creeps by anyoneamous on Wednesday August 09, 2023 @05:28AM (#37060384)

But is the collective noun for fully-grown factlets "facti" or "factodes"?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:A Critical Problem – This photo gives me the creeps by selimthegrim on Wednesday August 09, 2023 @08:35AM (#37061709)

The octolets will get back to you.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:A Critical Problem – This photo gives me the creeps by bmacho on Thursday August 10, 2023 @06:02AM (#37074064)

I think I prefer factlet over factoid.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:A Critical Problem – This photo gives me the creeps by adrian_b on Wednesday August 09, 2023 @06:05AM (#37060584)

Yes, the -oid suffix is cognate with words like video and vision, referring to sight, so X-oid means something that looks like X.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:A Critical Problem – This photo gives me the creeps by selimthegrim on Wednesday August 09, 2023 @08:35AM (#37061714)

Schizoid?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:A Critical Problem – This photo gives me the creeps by HPsquared on Wednesday August 09, 2023 @11:34AM (#37064269)

"Resembling schizophrenia but less severe"... seems to fit.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:A Critical Problem – This photo gives me the creeps by cafard on Wednesday August 09, 2023 @06:36AM (#37060767)

My recollection from many years ago is that Norman Mailer coined "factoid" to refer that what looked like facts, were offered as facts, but weren't facts.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:A Critical Problem – This photo gives me the creeps by Linosaurus on Wednesday August 09, 2023 @10:08AM (#37062874)

Yes, both meanings exists in dictionaries.

Fortunately usage has consolidated. In my experience a factoid is generally intended to be true in (American?) English, but untrue in Swedish.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:A Critical Problem – This photo gives me the creeps by andrelaszlo on Thursday August 10, 2023 @04:58AM (#37073669)

Aha, thank you for explaining why the American use of the word bothers me! I guess it became a false friend?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:A Critical Problem – This photo gives me the creeps by taneq on Wednesday August 09, 2023 @10:04AM (#37062828)

The letter u is a void. ;)

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:A Critical Problem – This photo gives me the creeps by JadeNB on Wednesday August 09, 2023 @11:48AM (#37064465)

Similarly, 'factitious' sounds like it should be an antonym to 'fictitious', but it very much isn't. And 'factious' is another thing entirely.

[ Parent | on HN ]