Dr. Seuss invented the word 'nerd,' and 42 other author-invented words

(Image credit: Facebook.com/Dr. Seuss)

last updated 27 February 2015

It's no secret that Shakespeare can be credited with coining many of the phrases we still use today, such as "bated breath" and "love is blind." But did you know the Bard is also credited with being the first to print a number of words themselves, like "obscene" and "eventful?" And Dr. Seuss is credited with inventing the word "nerd."

In this week's video from our sister site, Mental Floss, author John Green explains the literary origins of 43 words. Among the other word inventions: Charles Dickens invented the word "boredom" in his 1853 novel Bleak House, and Sir Walter Scott's 1820 novel Ivanhoe is the first written mention of the word "freelance."