| glossopoeia |
| Definition: The act of inventing an artificial language. |
| Example: Zamenhof's Esperanto |
| Etymology:
The word — which means "the making of tongues" in Greek — was coined by J.R.R. Tolkien. I believe it made its first public appearance in Tolkien's A Secret Vice, a 1931 lecture, the vice being the desire to invent languages. Note: With Tolkien, a repeat offender, the vice became a habit. |
| Oxford English Dictionary: There is no OED entry for this word. |