Editor's Corner

Dear Editrix,

Thanks to sloppy newscasting, I learned a new word today: chyron. Did you already know the definition of this word?

Wondering in Wonderland

Dear Wondering,

At first, I thought you were talking about Chiron. Sure, I know him. He’s the centaur (half man, half horse) in Greek mythology that was the “wisest and justest” of all the centaurs. He’s my man! (Or horse, depends on the day.)

But then I realized that the spelling was chyron, and that was a word I was unfamiliar with. I looked it up, and found some crazy examples in the news. But first, the definition.

According to Merriam-Webster, a chyron is “an electronically generated caption superimposed on a television or movie screen.” The word is derived from the name of the company (the Chyron Corporation) that makes the devices that generate the captions. I think it’s impossible to watch the news today without seeing a chyron. The one in question the day I learned the word was this:

ABC later apologized for accusing Paul Manafort of manslaughter, rather than the actual crimes he has been accused of (charges of conspiracy and money laundering).

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

Symitar Documentation Services