- I first heard this word during Rice O-week when one of my new friends told me to facebook him. This word went though much of what “google” went through. The original word was the name of a social networking site which later began to be used as a verb. The original word Facebook seems to be a compound between face and book. The company probably thought of this name because the site is like a metaphorical book with everyone’s profile being pages. Every page or profile will have a picture of the person’s face one it. This word is much more convenient to use than saying “go add me as a friend on facebook.”
facebook (1)
verb; zero derivation
To go onto the facebook website and add as a friend someone you know or someone who told you to
Etymology : Originated from the name of the website “Facebook” and was zero derived to a verb. Face from Latin facies ‘form, figure, appearance’ + Book from Old English boc ‘tablets, written sheets’
Source : Facebook me when you get home. (conversation, Aug. 2008)
Last modified: 2 December 2008