blurb
This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 13 October 2026 at 13:23. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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
- A short promotional description, as on a book jacket, usually full of praise.
Verb
- To describe or praise in a blurb.
Word family
- blurbist
References
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
- ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
- ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
- ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press