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Glitch

Posted by ESC on September 03, 2004

The Merriam-Webster Word of the Day for September 3, 2004, is:

glitch \GLITCH\ noun
1 : a usually minor malfunction, defect, fault, flaw, or imperfection 2 : a minor problem that causes a temporary setback
*3 : a false or spurious electronic signal

Example sentence:
A glitch in the program yielded some very odd results.

Did you know?
There's a glitch in the etymology of "glitch" -- the origins of the word are not known for sure, though it may derive from the Yiddish "glitsh," meaning "slippery place." The first documented use of "glitch" in print in English is found in
astronaut John Glenn's 1962 book "Into Orbit." In it he wrote, "Literally, a glitch is a spike or change in voltage in an electrical circuit which takes place when the circuit suddenly has a new load put on it." The word "glitch" began as a technical term, and then quickly acquired a more general sense of "minor malfunction." Later, it came to be used technically
once again to describe the misbehavior of computer programs.

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