In most cases we do not know who first coined or even used a word. Evidence can generally be found of the earliest instance of a word in written texts, but we do not have a written history of speech nor vocal recordings earlier than the 20th century.

Shakespeare, for instance, is credited in the Oxford English Dictionary with the first uses of words in nearly 1500 examples, from abrook, “Sweete Nell, ill can thy noble minde abrooke, The abiect people gazing on thy face” (Henry VI, Pt. 2 ii. iv. 11), to yravish, “The summe of this, Brought hither to Penlapolis, Iravyshed the regions round” (Pericles of Tyre x. 35).

However, it is likely that in many instances the words he used were already in use but not written down anywhere.

In some cases, however, the inventor of a word can be identified with confidence, and the more recent the coinage the more certain one can be.

Read More