Merriam-Webster will add the verb "google" to the next version of its dictionary. The definition, according to Bloomberg, will read, "to use the Google search engine to obtain information about (as a person) on the World Wide Web." The inclusion is another milestone for Google, whose name joins "yada yada," among other words, as worthy of dictionary entry.
But it could also cause a headache for Google officials, who may see their trademark name possibly weakened. Words such as "aspirin" and "escalator" were once trademarks. But after the names became common usage, the companies that originated them lost the trademarks, allowing anyone to use those words. Companies such as Coca-Cola and Xerox have fought hard to protect their trademarks from such a fate. But because the definition refers specifically to using the Google search engine, one expert said, the trademark should be safe for now. —Dan Carnevale
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