President Donald Trump tells lies. A lot. The Washington Post reports he told a staggering 5,001 falsehoods during his first 601 days in office.
So, it is with more than a hint of irony that dictionary Merriam-Webster has revealed via its new “Time Traveler” feature that the word “counterfactual” first appeared in print in 1946 — the year Trump was born.
It defines the term as meaning “contrary to fact.”
Other words that made the dictionary publisher’s printed or written debut that same year include “absurdist,” “anti-integration” and “spine-chilling.”
Merriam-Webster launched the feature Thursday.
The publisher asked people on Twitter to “come time travel with us” if they wondered “which words first appeared in print the year you were born.” Many obliged:
Check out the “Time Traveler” feature here, and the criteria it uses here.
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