Does the word "validator" exist?

Question

Microsoft Word said it didn't exist and the online Oxford, Cambridge and Merriam dictionaries do not bring it up. Google Translator does translate it into portuguese, but I'm afraid it was a translation proposed by other users.

For those reasons I am not sure if I can use it in my Thesis. Being a software developer, on the other hand, I know that some components are named "validator". Is this a valid English word or should I use any other to describe "something or someone that validates ..." ?

Thanks.

It's explicitly listed in OED. I'm surprised it's not listed even as a derivative in ODO. — Andrew Leach, Apr 21 '15 at 09:06
By standard rules of construction either "validater" or "validator" is, well, valid. Unfortunately, since the common online dictionaries don't list either word, and there's no really reliable rule for picking between "er" and "or", it's hard to say which. — Hot Licks, Apr 21 '15 at 13:01
Simple solution: Turn off your grammar and spell checkers. Don't give in to the tyranny of the squiggly line. — Robusto, Apr 21 '15 at 14:03
The simple truth about grammar and spell checkers is that they are neither checkers, nor can tell grammar from spelling. Kind of like the Federal Reserve is neither federal, nor a reserve. And the simple truth about dictionaries is that they are always behind the times. The word "validator" exists the second you use it. And if you use it when speaking English, then it is an English word. — RegDwigнt, Apr 21 '15 at 14:23
Very true. The procedure I follow when the spell checker is warning me, is to validate the word in a dictionary, since English is not my mother tongue. After that, of course, I add the word to the records and live my life happily until the next warning. — ClayKaboom, Apr 22 '15 at 14:18
Spell and grammar checkers must not be obeyed lavishly, but they are useful tools for poor spellers and/or non-native speakers, they can indicate when something is off. Incidentally, Wikipedia dedicates an article on Validator A validator is a computer program used to check the validity or syntactical correctness of a fragment of code or document. The term is commonly used in the context of validating HTML, CSS and XML documents or RSS feeds though it can be used for any defined format or language.. — Mari-Lou A, Apr 25 '15 at 12:36

score 9 · Accepted Answer · edited Apr 21 '15 at 20:47

9

According to n-gram it's been around for about a century, and getting more popular all the time. enter image description here

edited Apr 21 '15 at 20:47

Nathan Arthur

564

answered Apr 21 '15 at 13:43

WhatRoughBeast

8,573

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Apr 21 '15 at 10:29

2

Well the word definitely exists. I think its origin would be technical, eg. it is heavily used in software engineering. I'm not sure it's made the leap into common usage for "something or someone that validates ...". That said, I'm sure you would be understood.

As a double-check: what's your thesis about? Would the word normally be used in that context?

answered Apr 21 '15 at 10:29

dave

1,073

1

So who validates your parking ticket? – Hot Licks Apr 21 '15 at 12:24
1

My parking ticket is usually validated by the ticket machine or occasionally the booth attendant :) – dave Apr 21 '15 at 21:12
No, your parking ticket is validated by the person in the shop where you buy something, if they display in the front window "We validate XXXX parking tickets". – Hot Licks Apr 21 '15 at 23:49
Yes, I also made a search on google scholar and it is accepted so it is definitely worth using it. It is just interesting to me not to find definitions of it. – ClayKaboom Apr 22 '15 at 08:58

Does the word "validator" exist?

2 Answers2