Oxford English Dictionary Adds 1,400 New Words
This year, 1,400 words and phrases have been added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) or have had their definitions updated. Among the newest words are “fam,” “upvote,” and “idiocracy,” showing how much social media and politics have influenced the English language.
Many of the 'new' words are already in use. For example, “areligious” is an adjective meaning “not influenced by or practicing religion”, and “dine-in” describes food that is eaten in a restaurant, as opposed to take-out food.
However, some of the new words are less common and have led to serious debates online. These include “fam,” which is short for family, and “updation,” which OED defines as “the act of updating something.”
OED says “fam” has been used as an abbreviation for family since the 16th century, but it is now used to refer to a person's group of friends. This word is mostly used on social media, where some users call their followers as “fam.” For this reason, some say that it’s too uncommon for the dictionary.
Similarly, several Twitter users have asked OED to delete “updation,” saying it’s “unnecessary” or that they’ve “never heard it before.” But others have noted that the word is common among computer workers in India.
Other new, computer-related words include “upvote” and “laggy.” To upvote is to show approval of something online, such as clicking the “like” button on Facebook. Laggy is an adjective meaning “slow to respond,” as in “My computer has been pretty laggy lately.”
Several political words also made the list. One of the most interesting is “idiocracy,” which means “a government formed by idiots.” The word was used to describe an actual government in the 2006 movie Idiocracy, but it’s now used as an insult.
On average, about 5,400 English words are invented every year, according to the Global Language Monitor. But only about 1,000 of them are added to the dictionary. And only some of those make it into everyday language.
New words can be created, borrowed, or they may come from other words; but to survive, a word must be both popular and relevant.
