New words

My friend Evil sent me an e-mail last night telling me how much she is enjoying this blog. Then she asked if blog was a word - according to Webster's it is. That just started me down the path of thinking (bad path so early in the morning and one reason I refer to her as Evil) where do new words come from? I realize that since we could first speak words have been added to our vocabulary on a regular basis, but who first thinks up a word? Who decides that it is a word? Who concludes that it should be included every year in that list I see of new words added to the dictionary? Do words ever get dropped from the dictionary? I used to do a word of the day game with people I worked with. We would take this big old dictionary and hold it closed on its spine, close our eyes, let it drop open and point. Whatever word you pointed to was the word of the day. The only word I remember is tintinnabulation - the ringing of bells. Let me tell you, that is a word that has come in really handy - just the other day while walking down the streets of Paris I heard the tintinnabulation of Notre Dame. I think it is also one of those words that is spelled just like it sounds and I like those.

Anyway, back to my original thoughts, where do new words come from and when does one decide to become a lexicographer? What no link? Get your hands on a "real" dictionary and look it up, it will do your brain good.