factoid

The “-oid” ending in English is normally added to a word to indicatethat an item is not the real thing. A humanoid is not quite human.Originally “factoid” was an ironic term indicating that the “fact” beingoffered was not actually factual. However, CNN and other sources havetaken to treating the “-oid” as if it were a mere diminutive, and usingthe term to mean “trivial but true fact.” As a result, the definition of“factoid” is hopelessly confused and it’s probably better to avoid usingthe term altogether.

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• flys vs flies
• ruff vs rough
• ninty vs ninety
• in tact vs intact
• soar vs sore
• greatful vs grateful
• wreckless vs reckless
• acapella vs a capella vs a cappella
• submittal vs submission
• absorbtion vs absorption

Definitions

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• n  something resembling a fact; unverified (often invented) information that is given credibility because it appeared in print
• n  a brief (usually one sentence and usually trivial) news item

News & Articles

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• Find the rhythm to stop and smell the roses
  New favorite factoid: Our cave dwelling ancestors marched, OK, danced to the beat of their own drums for a good reason.
  June 25, 2013 - The News-Press
• Cornell Researchers Unveil a Virtual Notary
  First time accepted submitter el33thack3r writes "We've all wanted a trustworthy record of an online factoid, whether it's your official employment status, a tweet someone made or the hash of an open-source distribution to protect it from tampering. A group of Cornell researchers have just unveiled a service called Virtual Notary that can serve as a witness to online factoids. The service is ...
  June 20, 2013 - Slashdot
• Game 3 of the NBA Finals is not particularly magical
  HAVE YOU HEARD? In 12 NBA Finals series that have gone 1-1 during the 2-3-2 era, the winner of Game 3 has won the series 11 times?! Fascinating. And of those 11 winners, eight did not have home court advantage for the series. How incredible. Cool factoid, bro. But there's no damn magic to a Game 3, or to the 2-3-2 format. To wit: 1. In a seven-game series, spotting a team two wins is a BIG deal ...
  June 11, 2013 - SB Nation