Off Topic: Pathalogical

["Clark C. Evans" <cce@clarkevans.com>]

Rick,

I'm wondering about your usage of the word "pathalogical".  I've seen 
only a few times before (most recently in the book Learning Python).

On Sat, 3 Feb 2001, Rick Jelliffe wrote:
> schema languages must be initially to identify pathological cases that
                                                 ^
In particular, I'm curious about the etymology of your usage
of this word.  I've looked up the word in almost every dictionary
and reference work that I have access to (the ones on my bookshelf
date to the 70's and 80's so they may be out-of-date) and
on-line sources below.  In each case, the word was either not
found, or had the traditional (and expected), "compulsive" definition.

On the other hand, I found 6 hits on Robin Cover's Pages
for the word.  In each case, the word is mentioned passively
as if I'm aware of what the word means.

Is there a computer science definition of this word
that I have not yet been able to discover?

Just wondering....  Clark

P.S. I especially find About.Com's definition interesting:

     An individual with an addictive behavior toward Internet use.


---------------------------------------------------
Hit List from Robin Cover's Site:

1. http://xml.coverpages.org/blocks-protocol003.html
2. http://xml.coverpages.org/bib-mn.html
3. http://xml.coverpages.org/ihc97kipp.html
4. http://xml.coverpages.org/rcdataCTS1.html
5. http://xml.coverpages.org/sgml97-tutorial.html
6. http://xml.coverpages.org/xslAsValidator19990124.html

--------------------------------------------------

pathological (path'?-loj?i-k?l) also pathologic (-ik) adjective
Abbr. path., pathol.

1.Of or relating to pathology.
2.Relating to or caused by disease.
3.Of, relating to, or manifesting behavior that is habitual and
compulsive:
a pathological liar.

Excerpted from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language,
Third Edition Copyright c 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Electronic
version licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V., further
reproduction and distribution restricted in accordance with the Copyright
Law of the United States. All rights reserved.

...

From About.Com's Dictionary on Computer Science:

Search Results: pathological 
 
  Pathological Internet Use: Some Examples 09/29/97  
  Some people have a problem with their Internet use.Are these people
  addicted?

...

Free On Line Dictionary of Computing
http://wombat.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/foldoc.cgi?query=pathalogic

No match for pathalogic
Sorry, the term pathalogic is not in the dictionary. Check the spelling
and try removing suffixes like "-ing" and "-s".
Why is this definition missing?



...

Dictionary of Algorithms, Data Structures, and Problems
National Institue of Standards and Technology

  No entry for pathologic found

...

Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Engineering, 2nd Edition
(c) 1983 by Van Nostrand Reinhold Company Inc.  

  No entry found for pathologic or pathological

...

Computer dictionary and handbook, by charles j sippl (c) 1970

  No entry for pathalogic or pathalogical

...

The J. Stefan Institute home page is located at http://www.ijs.si/ 
English/Slovene dictionary of computer science
Searching for "pathological"
No words matched the search pattern.

...

http://www.babylonia.org.uk/
Welcome to Babylonia, the Computer Science Terms Dictionary.
You find here translations of English computer science terms into
German. For a guide to Babylonia, please read the explanations page.

Sorry, no matches were found containing pathological.

...
 
Webopedia, The only on-line dictionary for computer technology
http://webopedia.internet.com/
You Searched on: pathological
Your query for pathological was not found in our database. 
     Try your search on internet.com instead.