Design — Bucky Dictionary of Coined Terms (TODO-8)

Date: 2026-06-28
Source: work/TODO.md → TODO-8 ("Build a Bucky dictionary of his coined terms")
Status: Approved design; ready for implementation plan

Goal

Turn Fuller's invented/redefined vocabulary into a plain-language dictionary that lowers the single biggest barrier to his work. Promote the existing one-off output glossary into a permanent, navigable wiki concept article with broader coverage, etymologies, and working links.

Why (from TODO-8)

Lower the vocabulary barrier — Fuller's invented terms are the biggest thing that makes his work hard; a plain-language dictionary is the on-ramp.

Deliverable

A wiki concept article: .wiki/wiki/concepts/fuller-coined-terms.md

• Full wiki article frontmatter: title, category: concept, sources: [...] (the topic articles + the Synergetics Dictionary manifest the definitions draw on), created/updated/verified = 2026-06-28, tags, aliases, confidence, volatility: cold, compiled-from: sources, summary.
• A short intro framing Fuller's private language (invented vs. redefined terms) and pointing to the exhaustive Synergetics Dictionary dataset.
• The dictionary body: ~50–70 terms, alphabetical A–Z (letter-grouped headings).
• A ## See Also and ## Sources block.

Entry format

Each entry:

- **Term** — plain-language definition first (one or two sentences, accessible).
  *Etymology/derivation* where apt (e.g. Dymaxion = dynamic + maximum + tension).
  Navigable links to the wiki topic(s) where it is used: [Topic Title](../topics/<slug>.md).

• Plain-language leads. The first clause must be intelligible to a newcomer; technical precision follows.
• Etymology included when the word's construction is illuminating (coinages, contractions, redefinitions); omitted when it adds nothing.
• Links are real markdown links to ../topics/<slug>.md (relative from wiki/concepts/), replacing the existing glossary's bare → slug code refs. Every link must resolve (lint C4).

Coverage

Keep all ~30 terms from the existing glossary; add ~20–40 more important coinages/redefinitions, e.g.: A & B Modules, Mites / Sytes / Couplers, isotropic vector matrix (IVM), closest packing, great circle, generalized principle, scenario Universe, regenerative, integrity, wealth (redefined), wave / frequency, octet truss, aspension, Dymaxion Chronofile, cosmic accounting, "call me trimtab", omnidirectional, prime number / "cipher" treatment, etc. Each new term grounded in a wiki article or the Synergetics Dictionary. Target ~50–70 total — curated and accessible, not the exhaustive ~20,900-card dictionary.

Grounding & accuracy

• Definitions and etymologies are grounded in the wiki's existing wiki/topics/ articles and the datasets/synergetics-dictionary/ manifest.
• Verify the trickier etymologies/derivations rather than guessing; where a term has no dedicated wiki article, link to the closest relevant topic or the Synergetics Dictionary manifest.
• Tone: plain-language and accurate; this is an on-ramp, not a technical treatise.

Superseding the output glossary

output/glossary-fuller-coined-terms-2026-06-28.md is promoted into this concept article. Steps:

1. Find inbound links to the output glossary across .wiki/ (grep -rl 'glossary-fuller-coined-terms').
2. Repoint each to ../concepts/fuller-coined-terms.md (adjusting relative depth per file).
3. If no important inbound links remain, remove the output file and drop its row from output/_index.md. If meaningful links can't cleanly repoint, instead leave the output file as a one-line pointer to the concept article.
4. Note the promotion in log.md.

Integration

• Add the article to .wiki/wiki/concepts/_index.md (and bump any count there).
• Add a bidirectional See-Also link between this article and synergetics (the home of most coinages): concept → synergetics and synergetics → concept.
• Update master .wiki/_index.md (Articles count + Recent Changes) and append a log.md line.

Verification

The repo's canonical verification is the wiki lint. Pre-merge success: /wiki:lint-equivalent reports 0 broken links, the concept article has valid frontmatter with resolving sources:, the bidirectional See-Also is present, output/_index.md is consistent with files on disk, and master/concept indexes are consistent.

Out of scope

• Reproducing the exhaustive Synergetics Dictionary (~20,900 cards) — this is a curated subset.
• Audio, code, or any non-content artifact.

Testing strategy

Not code; testing = the wiki lint (link integrity, frontmatter, index consistency) plus a self-review pass for: every entry leads with plain language, etymologies are accurate, all inline links resolve, and coverage hits the ~50–70 target without duplicating the existing glossary's omissions.