Presumably, everyone reading this post can understand the English language; at least, for the most part. While most of the words used in common situations are understood by the majority of people, several words and topics also exist that leave people secretly thinking, “What on Earth does _____ mean?” In fact, many conversations include technical terminology, references to pop culture, academic jargon, partially understood terms, or other lexicographically disestablishmentarianistic words not known to everyone around the circle. But how do people look up the meanings of these words later on, and which definitions are sought the most often online?

Recent research by Epiar explored these topics, seeking to answer the following salient questions: For which words do people most commonly turn to the internet for definitions? What trends emerge when examining this group of words? What insight can be gained by knowing which words people most commonly search?

Of the top 9000 phrases entered into search engines which include the word “define” or “definition”, the following words appeared the most frequently:

Please click here for a complete list of the top 9000 definitions people searched for as measured in this study.

Adding Definition to the Definitions

Overall, the top 10 relevant phrases which searched for a definition were:

• first name definitions (searched an estimated 772 times per day)
• word definitions (518)
• definition of technology (496)
• definition of software (482)
• medical definitions (454)
• definition of culture (426)
• blog definition (416)
• definition of science (410)
• legal definitions (408)
• definition of communication (404)

Computer technology searches were quite prominent throughout the study, including:

• domain name server definition (334)
• definition of html (286; an appropriate number, wouldn’t you say?)
• definition of operating system (232)
• definition of cache (230)
• definition of application software (208)
• definition of windows xp (186)

Similarly, searches relating to business and money represented a large portion of searcher curiousity:

• define money market account (268)
• definition of public relations (226)
• definition of management (220)
• definition of marketing (220)
• financial definitions (184)
• definition of investment (164)

Searches relating to physical health were also high:

• definition of physical education (236)
• definition of sport (220)
• define aerobic activity (198)
• definition of obesity (166)
• definition of physical fitness (160)
• definition of holistic (142)

Fun searches also emerged, such as:

• definition of recreation (362)
• definition of love (262)
• definition of play (258)
• a definition of entertainment (248)
• definition of leisure (232)
• definition of art (214)

Surprisingly, searches for obscure academic terminology were relatively low. Clearly, the existence of big words with complex meanings doesn’t mean that mass culture wants to know about them! Still, I was excited to see 84 searches a day for “definition of rhetoric” – 84 curious minds a day intimating hope for contemporary culture’s acute adult trivium and quadrivium deficiency!

Connecting the Dots – From 1’s and 0’s to a More Clearly Defined Meaning:

New lists of digitally gathered words and topics like these seem to spark the question: What does all this information mean? From the standpoint of cultural anthropology, how does the availability of information that details zones of linguistic uncertainty and human curiousity impact a thorough analysis of contemporary culture? In what ways can this information all be applied? Perhaps most importantly: who, aside from a handful of leading-edge businesses, is actually currently taking advantage of this new social data, and to what end?

In the age of the “Shift-F7” thesaurus, the decentralization of informational authority and pop culture, the rise of the 30-second attention span, globalization’s linguistic Darwinism, and the accelerated proliferation of new gadgetry, how will the English speaking world maintain its hold on understanding its own language over time? Are hermeneutic homogeneity and lists of common words that multitudes misunderstand set to expand or diminish into the future? What impact will these changes have on educational systems or other organizations concerned with promoting the public good?

Just one of the many non-technical areas of inquiry being stretched by new information which springs from the digital revolution…

Epiar Inc. is an Edmonton-based internet market research and search engine optimization company. Please contact us for more information or to commission your own research reports.