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Erin McKean

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McKean's 2007 TED talk, "Redefining the Dictionary", was the genesis for the founding of Wordnik.com. She has also spoken at Pop!Tech, Mark Hurst's third annual Gel conference, and Thinking Digital, and gave a Wordnik demo at the
273:"Prettiness is not a rent you pay for occupying a space marked ‘female'.", a quote from McKean's blog, A Dress A Day, has been widely shared on social media. Since the original post features a large picture of 825: 628: 53: 833: 942: 418: 962: 338: 967: 873: 632: 40: 475: 270:: "Any correction of the speech or writing of others will contain at least one grammatical, spelling or typographical error." 937: 502: 199:
Verbatim: From the bawdy to the sublime, the best writing on language for word lovers, grammar mavens, and armchair linguists
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D8 conference in 2010. McKean sews her own clothes and often makes "stunt dresses" for speeches, including the
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was a best-seller in Australia, and has been optioned for film. She writes about dresses in her blog,
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Aftercrimes, Geoslavery, and Thermogeddon: Plus 157 More Words From a Lexicographer's Notebook
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with a BA/MA in Linguistics. As an undergraduate, she worked in a junior capacity on the
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McKean is a founder of Reverb, which makes the online dictionary
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She was previously a member of the advisory board of the
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Wikimedia Foundation contributors (February 26, 2009).
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from 2011 through mid-2013. She has also written for
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McKean has formulated 'McKean's law', also known as
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In 2010, McKean was named an honorary fellow of the
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Archived from 563:McKean, Erin (December 17, 2009). 452:The New Oxford American Dictionary 187:The New Oxford American Dictionary 14: 979: 852: 501:Caceda, Eden (February 2, 2015). 311:Totally Weird and Wonderful Words 858: 374:"University of Chicago Magazine" 195:VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly 30: 818: 804: 790: 776: 761: 743: 729: 715: 701: 687: 661: 647: 621: 575: 556: 542: 527: 44:may be too short to adequately 19:For the singer/songwriter, see 494: 478:. May 12, 2011. Archived from 468: 443: 425: 411: 397: 380: 366: 352: 301:More Weird and Wonderful Words 54:provide an accessible overview 1: 450:Erin McKean, ed. (May 2005). 345: 193:McKean is also the editor of 938:University of Chicago alumni 319:(Walker & Company, 2007) 7: 773:(Toronto, Canada), pp. A14. 323:The Secret Lives of Dresses 203:The Secret Lives of Dresses 170:The Meaning of Dictionaries 162:Chicago Assyrian Dictionary 140:(born 1971) is an American 97:1971 (age 52–53) 10: 984: 293:, with an introduction by 18: 876:January 31, 2018, at the 695:"Erin McKean at GEL 2006" 287:Weird and Wonderful Words 175: 156:. She graduated from the 154:Charlotte, North Carolina 127: 108: 101:Charlotte, North Carolina 93: 84: 77: 948:American women linguists 280: 148:Early life and education 953:American women bloggers 923:American lexicographers 723:"D8 Tech Demo: Wordnik" 221:The Wall Street Journal 784:"Erin @ A Dress A Day" 671:. 2006. Archived from 16:American lexicographer 918:American book editors 836:on September 13, 2009 550:"Wall Street Journal" 515:on September 24, 2015 325:(Grand Central, 2011) 158:University of Chicago 113:University of Chicago 958:Women lexicographers 867:at Wikimedia Commons 814:. December 14, 2002. 635:on February 14, 2012 588:Wikimedia Foundation 439:. December 23, 2006. 405:"The Chicago Maroon" 238:Wikimedia Foundation 933:People from Chicago 739:. October 29, 2009. 362:. January 19, 2007. 341:, Bloomsbury, 2013) 335:The Hundred Dresses 152:McKean was born in 812:"World Wide Words" 800:. August 12, 2013. 770:The Globe and Mail 755:The New York Times 613:has generic name ( 569:The New York Times 437:The New York Times 376:. October 1, 2006. 246:All Things Digital 227:The New York Times 190:, second edition. 166:Regenstein Library 913:American bloggers 863:Media related to 629:"Credo Reference" 482:on April 24, 2014 421:. March 12, 2013. 331:(TED Books, 2011) 172:, there in 2007. 135: 134: 71: 70: 975: 894: 871:McKean biography 862: 846: 845: 843: 841: 822: 816: 815: 808: 802: 801: 794: 788: 787: 780: 774: 765: 759: 758: 757:. April 9, 2010. 747: 741: 740: 733: 727: 726: 719: 713: 712: 705: 699: 698: 691: 685: 684: 682: 680: 665: 659: 658: 651: 645: 644: 642: 640: 631:. Archived from 625: 619: 618: 612: 608: 606: 598: 596: 594: 579: 573: 572: 560: 554: 553: 546: 540: 531: 525: 524: 522: 520: 511:. 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Index

Erin McKeown

lead section
summarize
provide an accessible overview

Charlotte, North Carolina
University of Chicago
BA
MA
lexicographer
Charlotte, North Carolina
University of Chicago
Chicago Assyrian Dictionary
Regenstein Library
Wordnik
The New Oxford American Dictionary
The Boston Globe
The Wall Street Journal
The New York Times
On Language
Wikimedia Foundation
All Things Digital
Tetris
Web 2.0 Summit
Society for Technical Communication
Muphry's law
Diana Vreeland
Roz Chast
Simon Winchester

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