When's the last time you bought a verb? You know, a company so original that it takes a wrecking ball to conventional wisdom and makes that heart-pounding leap from a personal noun to a readily recognized verb? Like eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) or Google (NASDAQ:GOOG)?

Our Rule Breakers newsletter preaches buying companies that break the mold. I would argue that the heart of our service is more akin to identifying nouns that may one day evolve into verbs. We can't confuse this with simply carving out a killer brand. Coke. Nike. Big names. Great brands. But no matter how you slice them, they're just big, fat, glorious nouns.

Which stocks are verbs?
Think of a great company. Tack on a "d" or an "ed" to it. Does it jell? If I told you that I eBayed my old laptop or I Googled a college buddy, you would know exactly what I meant. That's what I'm talking about.

This isn't exactly a new phenomenon. Papers have been Xeroxed for ages. Around most offices, FedEx (NYSE:FDX) has been a verb for a long time. However, publicly traded verbs are selectively few these days -- and attached to some really exciting companies for the most part -- so I think it would be a shame if we didn't flesh a few of them out to see how they came to rattle the very foundation of our lexicon.

And TiVo was its name-o
Let's start with TiVo (NASDAQ:TIVO). The company does not own the digital video recorder (DVR) market. Two of every three boxes sold are made by a competitor. Yet because of TiVo's pioneering status, proprietary software, and edgy personality, it's pretty much the only name in DVRs that matters. You would be hard-pressed to identify a rival brand as a noun, much less dismiss the notion that TiVo has now become a popular verb. Are you going to be out while your favorite show is on? No worries. Just TiVo it. Before TiVo came around, nobody would "Sony" or "Emerson" a program. They'd simply "record" or "tape" it.

I happen to own a verb: Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX). As a customer -- and shareholder -- since 2002, I've been with the company through its highs and lows. From dotting the country with red DVD mailers as it has grown to 3 million subscribers, to the market's concerns about pricing wars and the potential of new entrants, the company has taken on many forms in its relatively brief public life. And, at least around my house, it has become a verb. If I ask my wife if she wants to see a particular movie at the local multiplex that she's only mildly interested in, her response is usually "let's just Netflix it." We haven't rented discs for the past three years. We've Netflixed them.

What about Apple Computer (NASDAQ:AAPL)? No, I've never actually heard anyone say that they Appled anything, but think about the company's iPod. It has spawned an online craze called podcasting, where audio content is broadcast for the explicit purpose of being downloaded and then streamed on Apple's portable players.

"Score" is also a verb
So by now, you may be thinking that the Rule Breakers newsletter scorecard is just a laundry list of action words. It's not. Many of them may one day make it there. A technology stock recommendation in the May issue is pretty darn close -- and you can a have a free 30-day trial if you want to learn more about that company (or any of our other verbs-in-training).

Actually, the only Rule Breakers pick that is a bona-fide verb right now, Taser (NASDAQ:TASR), is also the young newsletter's worst-performing selection at the moment. No, not all verbs are getting love from the market right now. But that won't stop me from seeking out the next great verb to buy into. By definition, it's where the party is at.

Pity the verbless?

Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz thinks that investing in persons, places, or things is cool and all, but bring on the dancing verbs. He owns shares in Netflix. The Fool has a disclosure policy. He is also part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early.