Kory Stamper
American lexicographer and writer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kory Stamper is a lexicographer and former associate editor for the Merriam-Webster family of dictionaries. She is the author of Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries (Pantheon, 2017).
Kory Stamper | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | Smith College |
| Occupations | Lexicographer, editor |
| Notable work | Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries (2017) |
| Website | Harmlessdrudgery.com |
Early life
Stamper grew up in Colorado.[1] She attended Smith College, where she undertook an interdisciplinary major that involved studying Latin, Greek, Norse, Old English, and Middle English after enrolling in a course on Icelandic family sagas of the 13th and 14th centuries. She says, "I loved the style, the rhythm. They're very bleak, but they have this black humor."[1]
Career
Stamper worked in a college development office before applying for an editorial assistant position with Merriam-Webster in 1998.[1] She left Merriam-Webster after working there for nearly 20 years.[2] She was associate editor at Merriam-Webster for more than ten years.[3] As of 2019, Stamper worked freelance with Cambridge University Press.[4] As of December 2023, she was senior editor of lexicography at Dictionary.com,[5] where she worked until April 2024.[6]
In addition to her editorial duties, she presented many of Merriam-Webster's "Ask the Editor" videos,[7] a series on the publisher's website and YouTube that discusses the English language, especially unusual or controversial words and usages. She undertook speaking engagements on behalf of Merriam-Webster[8][9] and provides expert advice and response to general enquiries on language and lexicography from the public.[10] Stamper drew attention as the associate editor responsible for explaining the addition of the term "F-bomb" into the dictionary.[1]
Stamper also provides lexicographical and language-related commentary for various media outlets including the Chicago Tribune[11][12][13][14][15][16] and has written on other, non-language-related topics.[17]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Presentation by Stamper on Word by Word, March 22, 2018, C-SPAN |
Stamper's first book, Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries, was released by Pantheon in March 2017.[18][19][20]
Stamper appears in all six episodes of the 2021 Netflix series History of Swear Words,[21] providing commentary on the linguistic histories of various obscenities. The Hollywood Reporter described Stamper as "probably the breakout among the expert talking heads".[22]
Personal life
Stamper is married with two children. She lives in Collingswood, New Jersey.[1]