Definitions
Wiktionary
- n. nihilartikel
Etymologies
- Coined by the magazine The New Yorker based on a fictitious entry for Lillian Virginia Mountweazel in the 1975 edition of the New Columbia Encyclopedia. (Wiktionary)
Examples
“And yet, Wikipedia has an entry for “Mountweazel.””
“Indeed, the word ‘Mountweazel’ is now used as a synonym for ‘phantom’ or ‘false entry’ in reference works – fictitious articles created as an aid in the detection of copyright infringement, as the encyclopaedia editors did in this example from the seventies.”
“Turning from fountain design to photography in 1963, Mountweazel produced her celebrated portraits of the South Sierra Miwok in 1964.”
“If Mountweazel is not a household name, even in fountain-designing or mailbox-photography circles, that is because she never existed.”
“ Mountweazel, the encyclopedia indicates, was born in Bangs, Ohio, in 1942, only to die at 31 in an explosion while on assignment for Combustibles magazine.”
“William H. Harris and Judith S. Levey, eds, “Mountweazel, Lillian Virginia”, The New Columbia Encyclopedia, New York: Columbia University Press, 1975, 1850.”
“1972 Mountweazel died at 31 in an explosion while on assignment for Combustibles magazine.”
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oroboros A fictitious entry for the purpose of detecting plagiarism. Aug 20, 2011