Strong Language

I just realized today that I have been using the word "aleatoric" improperly for many years. I looked it up in the Oxford Concise Dictionary of Music and have Michael Kennedy to thank for the following definition of aleatory music (that I couldn't help sharing):

Aleatory music (from Lat. alea, dice; hence the throw of the dice for chance). Synonym for indeterminacy, i.e. mus. that cannot be predicted before perf. or mus. which was comp. through chance procedures (statistical or computerized). The adjective 'aleatoric' is a bastard word, to be avoided by those who care for language.

Gee. I'll never use that bastard word again.