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factoid

 [fak-toid]   Origin

fac·toid

   [fak-toid]
noun
1.
an insignificant or trivial fact.
2.
something fictitious or unsubstantiated that is presented as fact, devised especially to gain publicity and accepted because of constant repetition.
Origin:
1973; fact + -oid

Related forms
fac·toi·dal, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Factoid is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Collins
World English Dictionary
factoid (ˈfæktɔɪd)
 
—n
a piece of unreliable information believed to be true because of the way it is presented or repeated in print
 
[C20 (coined by Norman Mailer): from fact + -oid]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

factoid
1973, from fact + -oid, first explained, if not coined, by Norman Mailer.
EXPAND
"Factoids ... that is, facts which have no existence before appearing in a magazine or newspaper, creations which are not so much lies as a product to manipulate emotion in the Silent Majority." [N. Mailer, "Marilyn," 1973]
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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