It’s that time of year again when the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary get’s updated with new words, so we’ve decided to take a look was included this year and why.
So what words made the cut this year?
You might be surprised to know that words such as ‘man cave’, ‘game changer’ and ‘sexting’ all made it into the official dictionary. Even a curse word was included this year – kind of – because F-bomb made it in. It’s being classed as “the printable euphemism for a four-letter curse word”.
I wonder what word that is… So how did F-bomb make it into the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary of all things?
It made it in because Merriam-Webster make an annual update to their dictionary, which sees a handful of words being added. This has been going on since 1898, by the way. New words are added only after the Massachusetts company investigates evidence of usage over several years in everything from the media to the what’s being printed on food boxes. The more a word is used the more likely it is to make it into the dictionary.
So when was the F-bomb first dropped then? Surely it’s been around for awhile?
You’re right, it has been. The first F-bomb was dropped back in 1988 when the now-dead New York Mets catcher Gary Carter was giving an interview to Newsday. He said that he had given up using the “F-bomb” and other curse words. So that’s when the first F-bomb was first dropped. Apparently, it didn’t really catch flight until the late ’90s and it has made a massive reappearance as of late thanks to politicians using it thinking they’re getting their message across in a provocative manner without being rude.
Oh right. So what other words can I now officially use without looking like a fool?
Here’s just a sample of what was added:
1. Aha moment
2. Bucket list
3. Cloud computing
4. Copernicium
5. Earworm
6. Energy drink
7. F-bomb
8. Game changer
9. Gassed
10. Gastropub
11. Man cave
12. Mash-up
13. Sexting
14. Systemic risk
15. Underwater
Aha moment? Seriously?
Yes. The dictionary doesn’t lie.
So is that all that happens? A few new words are added?
Not quite. Old words can also be updated with new meanings. For example, take the word toxic. It was first used back in 1664 and means: “containing or being poisonous material especially when capable of causing death or serious debilitation”. However, thanks to this new update the word toxic now also means: relating to or being an asset that has lost so much value that it cannot be sold on the market.”
Did that make an appearance because of the recession?
Yes. Yes it did.
