• Lesrid@lemm.ee
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      1 day ago

      And they’re not factoids because definitionally a factoid resembles a fact but isn’t!

      • ilinamorato@lemmy.world
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        19 hours ago

        Language has long since moved on from that definition of “factoid.” The “-oid” suffix, which used to mean “like” or “resembling,” has been assumed to mean “, but diminutive” (in words like “meteoroid” and “asteroid”) or “, but different than what you expected” (in words like “humanoid” or “ellipsoid”). And because of that, the word “factoid” sounds like it should mean “a diminutive or unexpected fact.” A snackt, if you will.