Is “since-folded (TV network)” an accustomed English word?
In its Entertainment TV section, Time magazine (August 29) reports that Sara Palin has launched her own Internet Television network. It says;
Palin’s not the first candidate to lose an election and then embrace the media. Aug. 1 marks the ninth anniversary of the launch of Current TV, Al Gore’s since-folded television network, which Al Jazeera bought last year.
I was attracted to the word, “since-folded,” and I thought it convenient word to be used in many other ways, like “since-folded shop/hospital/library/hotel/company/program,” and so on.
So I checked OED, CED, and Merriam-Webster English Dictionary to make certain. None of them carries “since-folded,” nor does Google Ngram.
How does "since-folded" differ from "long-folded (closed/non-operating)"?
Is “since-folded” an 'accustomed' English word, or just one-off coinage of the article author, P.Nash Jenkins?
That is a combination of adverb describing a participial-adjective.
The following are examples of adjectives derived from verbs, hence participle+adjective.
Past completed/perfected participles
- painted door
- discarded food
- targeted audience
- folded business.
Present progressing participles
- running man
- traveling salesman
- closing sale
- folding chair
We could attach another adjective to describe how the fore-front adjective describes its noun.
- tall painted door
- smelly discarded food
- handsome traveling salesman.
OTOH, we could attach an adverb to describe how an adjective achieved its state
- quickly painted door
- unscrupulously discarded food
- fast-traveling salesman
- fast-moving van
- duly-noted heroism
Therefore, we could also use conjunctive adverbs to describe the adjective's achieving its state
- thus discarded food
- since folded business
- also-included reference letter
- hence-unrequited love
- thence-unrequited love
- likewise receded tumour
- otherwise-unnoticed genius
- she was then-unmarried Drew Barrymore
- the instead-of untainted replacement
- next-completed action item (vs next completed-action-item)
- she spilled the still-brewing tea.
Conjunctive adverb vs conjunctive adjective
- your nonetheless-perfected record should not be ruined
- your nonetheless-healthy lungs should not be subjected to stress anyway .
Appendix:
I did not expect this to be chosen the answer. I wrote this answer purely to remind (and educate those who did not know) of the grammatical elements of the situation.
My since-chosen answer obliges me to explain the difference between since-defunct vs now-defunct, by pointing out what it means to be a conjunctive adverb/adjective.
A conjunction connects two predicates. Therefore, a conjunctive adverb connects the action of the current new story to the effects of actions that took place in an existing story.
It is meaningless to have the conjunction in the story:
My since-reduced role in the company has been free from the burdens of responsibility
Unless it is preceded or followed by the likes of
having resigned as chair of the board
There is difference between jail time and walking free to say
My now-reduced role would not allow me the privilege of such decisions
vs
My since-reduced role would not allow me the privilege of such decisions
When asked by the prosecutor in court
Did you over-see the release of toxic waste into the river after your resignation from the chair of the board?
Further examples
Person 1: Prince Charming bent to kiss Snow White.
Person 2: Whereas the thus-broken spell continued to haunt her memories.P1: Don't you know the messiah has come to save the world?
P2: But I'm afraid, such hence-perceived superstition removes from men their responsibility to save the planet from climate disaster.
Here "since-folded" means "having folded since some previously mentioned event" not just "having folded previously". In this case, "Aug. 1 marks the ninth anniversary of the launch of Current TV, Al Gore’s since-folded television network, which Al Jazeera bought last year" could have been written as "Aug. 1 marks the ninth anniversary of the launch of Current TV, Al Gore's television network which has since folded, and which Al Jazeera bought last year". Obviously my version is more awkward, which is why it was published as written.
In any case, this is just an example of a compound attributive modifier ("since" + "folded"), which is hyphenated by the normal rules for compound modifiers used attributively. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compound_modifier
The since is an interesting reference to a time span outside of what is described:
In... launch of Current TV, Al Gore’s since-folded television network ...
the since refers to the time span between what is described in the sentence, and the time of writing:
I would expand the sentence to... launch of "Current TV", Al Gore’s television network, which folded since that time, ...
So the TV station closed down, but not at the time we're writing about, but between then, and now, when we are describing it.
All that is a side note, on a meta level.
I'll compare related words that came up, assuming the same context of the sentence where "since-folded" was used.
I use "then" for the time where the events occurred that are described in the original context sentence, "ninth anniversary of the launch of Current TV",
and "now" for the time of writing the sentence.
The meaning of "since-folded" is about the same as "folded in the meantime", that is, folded between then, and now.
It is different from "long-folded": folded before now, even long before, but - only implicitly - not before then.
It is also different from "now-defunct": defunct before now, with no relation to then.