Word nerd holy grail adds 500 new terms including 'photobomb' and 'sexting'

[Shawn Knight]

Roughly 500 new words and phrases have been added to the Oxford English Dictionary via its quarterly update. The latest members of the word nerd holy grail include autotune, crowdfunding, deep web, e-cig, kryptonite (how is this just now making it in?), photobomb, retweet, webisode, meh, vaping, sexting and twerk.

As has been the case for several years now, the latest update is heavily influenced by pop culture and the online world. One word in particular, twerk, was popularized by Miley Cyrus a few years back but its origin dates back much further than most are aware of.

Katherine Conner Martin, Head of US Dictionaries at Oxford English Dictionary, notes that the use of twerk to describe a type of dancing originated in the early 1990s in the New Orleans bounce music scene.

The word itself, however, was first used way back in 1820 as a noun to refer to a twisting or jerking movement. It was originally spelled “twirk.” The term wasn’t used as a verb until 1901. Twerk as we know it today found its way to the Oxford Dictionaries Online a couple of years ago.

Previous tech-related / geek culture additions to the Oxford English Dictionary include LOL, OMG, heart (as a verb), IMO and BFF.

A full list of the June 2015 additions can be found by clicking here.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/61138-word-nerd-holy-grail-adds-500-new-terms.html

 

[Adhmuz]

The beginning of the end of the English language as we know it, slang should remain that, slang, not official language...

Some of the "new" words don't sound very new at all to me, "birdhouse" Really? or "dartboard" I'm pretty sure these things are more relevant to the dictionary than "backronym" WTF? or "Homo economicus" the ladder has a Wiki page... "oophagy" like honestly whoever is submitting this crap should just stop.

 

[davislane1]

The beginning of the end of the English language as we know it, slang should remain that, slang, not official language...

So, what makes this alteration to the language different from the countless others preceding it? English has been (structurally) dumbing down for centuries. Why is this the beginning of the end and not, say, the invention of the term 'chick'? Or what about the recent SCOTUS decision that words don't necessarily have their defined meaning; I'd figure that one would have greater linguistic implications than the addition of 'sexting' to the dictionary.

 

[mailpup]

Like it or not languages evolve over time. Yesterday's slang is today's everyday words. Also, foreign words become incorporated into the language and become English, albeit of foreign origin. Of course, the French fight this trend tooth and nail but that's them.

 

[Adam1]

Lol they added fap fap fap as a new word

 

[Nobina]

Like it or not languages evolve over time. Yesterday's slang is today's everyday words. Also, foreign words become incorporated into the language and become English, albeit of foreign origin. Of course, the French fight this trend tooth and nail but that's them.

"evolve"

 

[mailpup]

"evolve"

Your point?

 

[Nobina]

Your point?

I think it's dumbing down instead of evolving, so I put it in quotes.