.infinitesimal.

being a huge nerd, i read merriam-webster online dictionary's word of the day almost every day. two days ago, the word of the day irked me- not so much the word, more the example sentence they put with it.

infinitesimal • \in-fin-ih-TESS-uh-mul\
• adjective 1 : taking on values arbitrarily close to but greater than zero *2 : immeasurably or incalculably small

Example sentence:The days get longer in seemingly infinitesimal increments, but by the end of February we've gained two whole hours of sunlight since the winter solstice.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

so i wrote merriam-webster an e-mail arguing that they totally screwed their shit up, hoping for some "oh yes you're right!" props and perhaps a free dictionary (the unabridged version). oh no, my friend, those bitches totally schooled me.

I sent them this email on monday:

I have a bone to pick with your example sentence for today's word of the day (2.28.05). The word is infinitesmal, which means "immeasurably or incalculably small." In the example sentence, you say that the days get longer in "seemingly infinitesmal increments." I understand that you have qualified the word with "seemingly," indicating that the increments are not in actuality immeasurable or incaculable. But the increase in sunlight on each day of the year is not only fundamentally measurable and calculable, but also not very small. Almost a minute more sunlight each day hardly qualifies as "arbitrarily close to zero."

I just wanted to let you know that I feel you've used your word incorrectly in your own example sentence. I still enjoy your words of the day.

and today, they responded with this:

I see your point, sort of. But as you yourself concede there is the qualifier "seemingly." And of course the way something "seems" is pretty subjective from the speaker's/writer's point of view. Not, that is, that I think I'm alone in thinking that it seems to me as if January 14, say, was no different in length from January 13th and January 15th--that in the long dark (and cold, here in New England!) winter months a mere minute seems too "very minute," and added description of what the word can mean appended to "immeasurably or incalculably small" in the expanded version of sense two in the Unabridged Webster's Third New International Dictionary.

(Keep in mind that the second sense is distinct from the first--the second does not require that the value in question be "arbitrarily close to zero" -- which is really a purely mathematical application.)

Here's an example of the kind of use sense two is based on from our literature database: "Again came the pull on his arm. She was trying to pass the apron-string around him. For the fraction of an instant he was a savage, dominated by the wave of fear and murder that rose up in him. For that infinitesimal space of time he was to all purposes a frightened tiger filled with rage and terror at the apprehension of the trap" (from Burning Daylight by Jack London). It's easier to see how figurative this figurative use can be when we get away from entities, such as increments of time, that do normally get measured precisely: "Listening nature seemed not to contradict him, so that, on the morrow, he asked the young girl, with an infinitesimal touch of irony, whether it struck her that his deflection from his Florentine plan had been attended with brilliant results." (from Henry James's Roderick Hudson)

Well, whether or not I have swayed you, we appreciate you interest in our Word of the Day, and we thank you for writing.

yeah, i "sort of" see my point as well. and i think the bitch is being a bit defensive. but damn, i sure would have sounded a lot cooler and more persuasive if i had whipped out a bunch of jack london quotes and shit. jesus. maybe i could have if i had access to this "literature database."

whatever. we appreciate your interest in our word of the day. sort of.