Bug — Lexography

Journey of meaning

4 forms

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The bug journey, in text

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bugge · Middle English
noun · Middle English
Reading: Historical reading not established
A frightening thing or specter.. A frightening thing or specter.
No secure word-specific lexical date — Batch 05 inspected the retained lexical evidence for bugge (Middle English) and did not find a stronger field-specific witness. A contextual period, object history or institutional date is not substituted for a lexical witness.
Middle English reference region — Glottolog language reference point; not an origin, borrowing site or territorial boundary.
The entry compares the uncertain insect word with Middle English bugge “something frightening, scarecrow.” bug — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
English bug is dated to the 1620s for the insect sense, with bedbugs among the earliest references. bug — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
Glottolog supplies a reference coordinate for Middle English. LanguageTable row midd1317; Name, Latitude, Longitude
bug · English
noun · English
Reading: BUG
An insect or beetle, especially a bedbug in early use.. An insect or beetle, especially a bedbug in early use.
c. 1620 · English insect bug — Reported first-use context; not necessarily the date of coinage or transmission.
English reference region / Britain — Glottolog language reference point; not an origin, borrowing site or territorial boundary.
The entry compares the uncertain insect word with Middle English bugge “something frightening, scarecrow.” bug — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
English bug is dated to the 1620s for the insect sense, with bedbugs among the earliest references. bug — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
The entry dates the machine-defect sense to 1889 and notes a proposed c. 1878 Edison use without treating that proposal as certain. bug — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
The inspected entry supports the retained conventional reading for bug. Batch 05 reading inspection for bug
Glottolog supplies a reference coordinate for English / Britain. LanguageTable row stan1293; Name, Latitude, Longitude
bug · English
noun · English
Reading: BUG
A defect or fault in a machine.. A defect or fault in a machine.
c. 1889 · machine-defect bug sense — Reported first-use context; not necessarily the date of coinage or transmission.
English reference region / Britain — Glottolog language reference point; not an origin, borrowing site or territorial boundary.
English bug is dated to the 1620s for the insect sense, with bedbugs among the earliest references. bug — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
The entry dates the machine-defect sense to 1889 and notes a proposed c. 1878 Edison use without treating that proposal as certain. bug — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
The inspected IBM history says the 1947 Harvard moth report popularized the story while the engineering sense predates it; the moth did not necessarily coin computer bug. A brief history of bugs — pre-moth engineering usage · selected etymology and sense sections
The inspected entry supports the retained conventional reading for bug. Batch 05 reading inspection for bug
Glottolog supplies a reference coordinate for English / Britain. LanguageTable row stan1293; Name, Latitude, Longitude
bug · English
noun · English
Reading: BUG
A defect in a computer program or computing system.. A defect in a computer program or computing system.
No secure word-specific lexical date — Batch 05 inspected the retained lexical evidence for bug (English) and did not find a stronger field-specific witness. A contextual period, object history or institutional date is not substituted for a lexical witness.
English reference region / Britain — Glottolog language reference point; not an origin, borrowing site or territorial boundary.
The entry dates the machine-defect sense to 1889 and notes a proposed c. 1878 Edison use without treating that proposal as certain. bug — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
The inspected IBM history says the 1947 Harvard moth report popularized the story while the engineering sense predates it; the moth did not necessarily coin computer bug. A brief history of bugs — pre-moth engineering usage · selected etymology and sense sections
The inspected entry supports the retained conventional reading for bug. Batch 05 reading inspection for bug
Glottolog supplies a reference coordinate for English / Britain. LanguageTable row stan1293; Name, Latitude, Longitude

Relationships

bugge → bug: influence, qualified. The source proposes a possible connection between the specter and insect senses; origin remains uncertain. bug — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections bug — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections

bug → bug: semantic-change, qualified. The insect and defect senses are chronologically distinct; the source gives only a possible metaphorical motivation. bug — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections bug — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections

bug → bug: semantic-change, qualified. The 1947 moth episode is not treated as the origin of the computing sense. bug — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections A brief history of bugs — pre-moth engineering usage · selected etymology and sense sections

Inspect the evidence 11 claims

Open a claim to follow the source and our interpretation.

01The entry compares the uncertain insect word with Middle English bugge “something frightening, scarecrow.”
Source
bug — selected etymology and sense sectionsOnline Etymology Dictionarybug — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The entry dates the insect sense to the 1620s, probably related to Middle English bugge “specter” but with uncertain origin. It dates machine-defect use to 1889 and says the 1878 Edison attribution is only a proposal. An inspected IBM history notes that the 1947 Harvard moth episode popularized an existing computing usage rather than necessarily coining it.
bug — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
Qualification Qualified
The proposed connection is uncertain and is not treated as a secure ancestor.
What Lexography infers
Lexography selects this account for the named form or sense; wording and presentation are editorial.
Checked 2026-09-14. Linked source retains its copyright. Brief original factual paraphrases only; no full article redistributed.
02English bug is dated to the 1620s for the insect sense, with bedbugs among the earliest references.
Source
bug — selected etymology and sense sectionsOnline Etymology Dictionarybug — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The entry dates the insect sense to the 1620s, probably related to Middle English bugge “specter” but with uncertain origin. It dates machine-defect use to 1889 and says the 1878 Edison attribution is only a proposal. An inspected IBM history notes that the 1947 Harvard moth episode popularized an existing computing usage rather than necessarily coining it.
bug — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
Qualification Source-supported
The inspected source supports this bounded lexical statement; it does not establish every use, date or transmission event.
What Lexography infers
Lexography selects this account for the named form or sense; wording and presentation are editorial.
Checked 2026-09-14. Linked source retains its copyright. Brief original factual paraphrases only; no full article redistributed.
03The entry dates the machine-defect sense to 1889 and notes a proposed c. 1878 Edison use without treating that proposal as certain.
Source
bug — selected etymology and sense sectionsOnline Etymology Dictionarybug — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The entry dates the insect sense to the 1620s, probably related to Middle English bugge “specter” but with uncertain origin. It dates machine-defect use to 1889 and says the 1878 Edison attribution is only a proposal. An inspected IBM history notes that the 1947 Harvard moth episode popularized an existing computing usage rather than necessarily coining it.
bug — selected etymology and sense sections · selected etymology and sense sections
Qualification Source-supported
The inspected source supports this bounded lexical statement; it does not establish every use, date or transmission event.
What Lexography infers
Lexography selects this account for the named form or sense; wording and presentation are editorial.
Checked 2026-09-14. Linked source retains its copyright. Brief original factual paraphrases only; no full article redistributed.
04The inspected IBM history says the 1947 Harvard moth report popularized the story while the engineering sense predates it; the moth did not necessarily coin computer bug.
Source
A brief history of bugs — pre-moth engineering usageIBMA brief history of bugs — pre-moth engineering usage · selected etymology and sense sections
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The inspected history records the 1947 Harvard Mark II moth episode and explicitly says the term predates it, citing earlier engineering usage. The moth report is evidence for a famous computing incident, not proof that it coined bug.
A brief history of bugs — pre-moth engineering usage · selected etymology and sense sections
Qualification Qualified
The computing sense is preserved without a fabricated first-use date or the moth-origin myth.
What Lexography infers
Lexography selects this account for the named form or sense; wording and presentation are editorial.
Checked 2026-09-14. Linked source retains its copyright. Brief original factual paraphrases only; no full article redistributed.
05Glottolog supplies a reference coordinate for Middle English.
Source
Glottolog 5.3 — language reference coordinatesHammarström, Forkel, Haspelmath & Bank; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLanguageTable row midd1317; Name, Latitude, Longitude
Source passage
Reference record
midd1317 · Middle English · Latitude 51.65 · Longitude -1.11
LanguageTable row midd1317; Name, Latitude, Longitude
Qualification Reference only
Language reference coordinates orient the map; they are not lexical birthplaces, borrowing sites or historical territories.
What Lexography infers
Lexography retains the inspected evidence at the stated scope and does not promote contextual history into lexical ancestry.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 072ca0d0410039fb8b779be8fc165bac575d2cda. CC BY 4.0; selected coordinates, rounded for regional orientation
06Glottolog supplies a reference coordinate for English / Britain.
Source
Glottolog 5.3 — language reference coordinatesHammarström, Forkel, Haspelmath & Bank; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLanguageTable row stan1293; Name, Latitude, Longitude
Source passage
Reference record
stan1293 · English · Latitude 53.0 · Longitude -1.0
LanguageTable row stan1293; Name, Latitude, Longitude
Qualification Reference only
Language reference coordinates orient the map; they are not lexical birthplaces, borrowing sites or historical territories.
What Lexography infers
Lexography retains the inspected evidence at the stated scope and does not promote contextual history into lexical ancestry.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 072ca0d0410039fb8b779be8fc165bac575d2cda. CC BY 4.0; selected coordinates, rounded for regional orientation
07The inspected entry supports the retained conventional reading for bug.
Source
bug — selected etymology and sense sectionsOnline Etymology DictionaryBatch 05 reading inspection for bug
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The inspected entry was checked for a conventional reading of bug; Batch 05 retains the guide as a present-day or conventional language reading and does not project it backward as historical pronunciation.
Batch 05 reading inspection for bug
Qualification Source-supported
The inspected passage supports this bounded statement; it does not establish every use, date or transfer event.
What Lexography infers
Lexography retains the inspected evidence at the stated scope and does not promote contextual history into lexical ancestry.
Checked 2026-09-14. Linked source retains its copyright. Brief original factual paraphrases only; no full article redistributed.
08Glottolog supplies a reference coordinate for English / Britain.
Source
Glottolog 5.3 — language reference coordinatesHammarström, Forkel, Haspelmath & Bank; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLanguageTable row stan1293; Name, Latitude, Longitude
Source passage
Reference record
stan1293 · English · Latitude 53.0 · Longitude -1.0
LanguageTable row stan1293; Name, Latitude, Longitude
Qualification Reference only
Language reference coordinates orient the map; they are not lexical birthplaces, borrowing sites or historical territories.
What Lexography infers
Lexography retains the inspected evidence at the stated scope and does not promote contextual history into lexical ancestry.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 072ca0d0410039fb8b779be8fc165bac575d2cda. CC BY 4.0; selected coordinates, rounded for regional orientation
09The inspected entry supports the retained conventional reading for bug.
Source
bug — selected etymology and sense sectionsOnline Etymology DictionaryBatch 05 reading inspection for bug
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The inspected entry was checked for a conventional reading of bug; Batch 05 retains the guide as a present-day or conventional language reading and does not project it backward as historical pronunciation.
Batch 05 reading inspection for bug
Qualification Source-supported
The inspected passage supports this bounded statement; it does not establish every use, date or transfer event.
What Lexography infers
Lexography retains the inspected evidence at the stated scope and does not promote contextual history into lexical ancestry.
Checked 2026-09-14. Linked source retains its copyright. Brief original factual paraphrases only; no full article redistributed.
10Glottolog supplies a reference coordinate for English / Britain.
Source
Glottolog 5.3 — language reference coordinatesHammarström, Forkel, Haspelmath & Bank; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLanguageTable row stan1293; Name, Latitude, Longitude
Source passage
Reference record
stan1293 · English · Latitude 53.0 · Longitude -1.0
LanguageTable row stan1293; Name, Latitude, Longitude
Qualification Reference only
Language reference coordinates orient the map; they are not lexical birthplaces, borrowing sites or historical territories.
What Lexography infers
Lexography retains the inspected evidence at the stated scope and does not promote contextual history into lexical ancestry.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 072ca0d0410039fb8b779be8fc165bac575d2cda. CC BY 4.0; selected coordinates, rounded for regional orientation
11The inspected entry supports the retained conventional reading for bug.
Source
bug — selected etymology and sense sectionsOnline Etymology DictionaryBatch 05 reading inspection for bug
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The inspected entry was checked for a conventional reading of bug; Batch 05 retains the guide as a present-day or conventional language reading and does not project it backward as historical pronunciation.
Batch 05 reading inspection for bug
Qualification Source-supported
The inspected passage supports this bounded statement; it does not establish every use, date or transfer event.
What Lexography infers
Lexography retains the inspected evidence at the stated scope and does not promote contextual history into lexical ancestry.
Checked 2026-09-14. Linked source retains its copyright. Brief original factual paraphrases only; no full article redistributed.