“Verbing”
It’s fun to pass the time during meetings with Buzzword Bingo – which are some of your favorite words?
Definition: turning a noun (person, place or thing) into a verb; usually done in an effort to mask the reality that one has no clue what he or she is saying or to craft an air of importance around oneself
Have you ever heard these terms used during presentations or sales pitches?
- “Parameterize” (parameter + “-ize”) – Is this the first step to thinking outside the box?
- “Onboarding” (onboard + “-ing”) – This is a common term used in HR & learning management circles, but it’s nonsensical to everyone else.
- “Webify” (web + “-ify”) – Is this something that Spiderman does?
- “Verbing” (verb + “-ing”) – Did you catch that? This isn’t a real word, either.
If you’re better than this, share this post with your colleagues and pledge to stop “verbing” for one week!
