Misused Word of the Day: Factoid

Introducing an occasional feature on words (or phrases) whose traditional definitions are rarely acknowledged in everyday use. I would begin with "begging the question," but others fortunately beat me to it. Since the British know best, all references will be to the OED.

"Now here’s an interesting factoid!," someone might say, overlooking that a factoid refers to a piece of information that is not true.  It is

an assumption or speculation that is reported and repeated so often that it becomes accepted as a fact; a simulated or imagined fact.

A clever word, and a useful one, as it has no exact synonym; it is not exactly propaganda and not quite urban legend. In its common usage, it is only a substitute for "trivia."

Of course, dictionaries have to change with the times and with popular opinion, with an unfortunate result the coarsening of words formerly elegant.

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You may also be interested in recent posts on Andrew Sullivan's blog regarding his incorrect usages of "coup de grace" and "the exception that proves the rule." The latter in particular is rather more subtle and complicated than I had realized.