blurb

Pronunciation

• IPA: /blɝ(ː)b/^[1]

Etymology

It was coined by the American humorist Gelett Burgess (1866–1951),^[2][3][4][5] who popularized it in 1907.^[6][4] Etymonline notes an earlier use by the scholar Brander Matthews in 1906^[6] and calls the word probably derisively imitative.^[6] Burgess joked in 1907 that “to blurb is to make a sound like a publisher”.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A short commendatory description of a book printed on its jacket (1914).^[7][4][3]

Semantic evolution

The word began as mockery of the excessive praise printed on book jackets.^[6][4] It soon lost its satirical edge and became the ordinary term for any short promotional notice,^[2][3][5] and a verb, “to praise in a blurb”, followed in 1915.^[3]

Timeline

• 1906 – used by Brander Matthews.^[6]
• 1907 – popularized by Gelett Burgess.^[6][4]
• 1914 – a publisher's commendatory notice on a book jacket.^[7][4][3]
• 1915 – verb, to describe or praise in a blurb.^[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A short promotional description, as on a book jacket, usually full of praise.

Verb

1. To describe or praise in a blurb.

Word family

• blurbist

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
5. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
6. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press