Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.Photo: Charles Krupa/AP/Shutterstock
ICYMI, “lewk,” “pumpkin spice” and “janky” are among the 370 new entries that have made it into the latest update of theMerriam-Webster dictionary.
The new words run the gamut, having arrived thanks in part to the news, teenagers, food trends and the corporate world.
Notable additions includeCOVID-19-era words like “subvariant,” “booster dose,” “emergency use authorization,” “false negative” and “false positive.”
The dictionary also prepared a full plate of food-centric words, such as omakase, birria, oat milk and bahn mi.
Meanwhile, some of the slang-sourced words might need a little more explanation. Sus (“suspicious” or “suspect”), baller (“excellent, exciting or extraordinary, especially in a way that is suggestive of a lavish lifestyle”) and cringe (“so embarrassing, awkward, etc. as to cause one to cringe”) all made the cut, as well as abbreviations like FWIW (“for what it’s worth”), and ICYMI (“in case you missed it”).
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He added in the statement, “Words offer a window into our ever-changing language and culture, and are only added to the dictionary when there is clear and sustained evidence of use.”
Last year, Sokolowski offered more insight on theTODAYshow and explained how new words are chosen to be added to the dictionary.
Noting that there must be written proof of a word’s longevity, Sokolowski said, “If a word is used frequently in publications such asThe New York TimesorThe Atlantic,then it goes into the dictionary.”
“We need to see it appear in carefully edited prose over a period of time — and not just in memes and on social media,” he added.
source: people.com
