Chaucer, Milton, and DeFoe all used the word in one form or another, so
reports of Twain's birthing this word are an exaggeration.

The newspaper reports on Lowell's work used the word, which obviously amused
Twain and inspired the writing of this short piece where he uses the word
over and over and over, the way an adolescent boy might get hold of the word
"masticate" and then go on and on about masticating at the family dinner
table, at school during lunch, with the girl next door, watching his
grandmother do it at church, and so on. Twain was being a bit obvious. If
you really want to see a devious (and smutty) wordsmith at work reed (or
reread) Melville's TYPEE or MOBY-DICK.

But I'm sure Twain was innocent of any "smutty" intent. The author of 1601
and Onanism just didn't think that way, now did he?

For myself, I'm certain that perturbation still takes place in outer space,
in the White House, and even on this listserv.

Kevin
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Slotta" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, September 07, 2001 9:38 AM
Subject: "Mark Twain's Planet" & word "perturbate"


> "I know there IS a new planet. I know it because I don't perturbate for
> nothing" -- Mark Twain, 1909
>
>
> 1905 Lowell starts looking for another planet, generically named "Planet
X."
>
> 1909 Twain publishes a new planet definitely exists, he feeling actual
> perturbations to this effect.
>
> 1916 Lowell dies, the search for the new planet stops, Planet X not found
> (yet).
>
> 1929, after a 13 year legal battle with Lowell's wife (who wanted all of
the
> money from the estate for herself rather than adhere to the will --which
> stated some money was to be used to keep searching for "Planet X"),
> Lowell's family hires Tombaugh to continue Lowell's work (searching for
> "Planet X").
>
> 1930 Using Lowell's postulation as well as his money,  Tombaugh gets
> extraordinarily lucky and observes the new planet at the LOWELL
Observatory.
>
> I checked with an expert at NASA, and indeed the alleged perturbations DID
> end up leading to the  "discovery" of Pluto, it just took some time.   If
> this weren't enough, Pluto ("Mark Twain's Planet") is the most
> scientifically mysterious of all the planets.
>
> As per usual, Twain was ahead of his time (21 years in this case), and in
> more ways than one. It seems likely he was also the first person to use
the
> word "perturbate" in print. Perhaps someone with access to an up to date
> Oxford dictionary could check this out?
>
> Bob
>