THE BIRTH OF A NEW VOCABULARY
Sunday afternoon. The sheets are soft, the light is dim, and rain taps gently against the window – a perfect excuse for some bed rotting, the art of lingering beneath the covers without guilt or agenda. Nearby, a phone buzzes, inviting doomscrolling, or scrolling through endless streams of news and updates. These moments aren’t new; people have always sought comfort in stillness or distraction on quiet winter days. What has changed is how one speaks of them: these once unnamed habits now have newly minted terms, crystallising everyday experiences in a way that speaks to the rhythms of modern life.
To objectively and comprehensively catalog the many different ways words are used by real people is the role of dictionaries. Each year, hundreds of new words are added to their online versions, capturing the zeitgeist of the time. In 2023 alone, Merriam-Webster, America’s oldest dictionary publisher, added 690 new words to its online version, spanning everything from climate change to the rise of AI. For instance, the term hallucination, once reserved for psychological discussions, now also refers to AI-generated false perceptions. In environmental circles, forever chemical was added to describe pollutants that persist indefinitely in nature, highlighting concerns about long-term ecological impacts.
Dictionaries are a mirror of language in action, their words reflect cultural shifts, technological advances and social trends.
Cultural trends also made their mark on the dictionary. The humorous cromulent (coined in The Simpsons to mean “acceptable” or “legitimate”) entered the lexicon, as did chef’s kiss, a gesture made by bringing the tips of the fingers to the lips and then extending the hand outward to convey perfection, often used to describe food or artistry. Pop culture continued to influence language with the addition of terms like thirst trap (a social media post designed to attract attention) or petfluencer (an animal with a significant social media following). The term zhuzh (meaning to make something more exciting or attractive) became popular in fashion and lifestyle. In the workplace, quiet quitting was added to describe a minimal, disengaged approach to one’s job, while in business, shrinkflation – the practice of reducing product size while maintaining price – became official.
The surge in new words in this decade stems from the rapid pace of technological innovation, cultural shifts, and global communication. Digital advances introduce terms like cryptocurrency. Social media accelerates the spread of slang, with words like cringe and cancel culture quickly becoming widespread. Global events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, have also brought new vocabulary into everyday use – lockdown and herd immunity being prime examples. Moreover, globalisation has brought a multitude of words from different cultures into common usage: like hygge, imported from Denmark to define cosiness, or K-Pop, thanks to the global rise of pop music originating in South Korea.
A WORD’S JOURNEY INTO A DICTIONARY
The process of including new words in dictionaries typically involves several steps. Lexicographers monitor various sources, such as news articles, social media platforms, and books, to identify emerging terms. At Merriam-Webster, this process begins with extensive reading, as editors scan a wide range of materials to find words in their natural contexts. When a new term or a novel use of an existing word is spotted, it is evaluated based on criteria such as frequency of use, longevity, and significance within a particular context. If the word meets these initial standards, it enters a rigorous vetting process that includes gathering evidence of its usage. If a term collects sufficient citations from diverse contexts over time, it qualifies for inclusion.
Conversely, words can also be removed from dictionaries. This process occurs for several reasons, primarily when a term falls out of common usage or becomes obsolete. For example, in the Collegiate Dictionary (1961), the terms plantsman (meaning skilled gardener) and gooseberry, a British term for an indulgent chaperone, were removed due to their decreased relevance. In the 1993Unabridged Dictionary, color film, which became obsolete with digital technology, was dropped. The medical term hepatectomize, meaning to excise the liver, was also removed for being too rare.
POWER TO WORDS
Although we live in a highly visual age, words still hold enormous power. Back in 1997, Gabriel García Márquez, the Nobel laureate in Literature, famously declared during the I Congreso Internacional de la Lengua Española: “Humanity will enter the third millennium under the reign of words. It is not true that images are displacing them, nor that they could extinguish them. On the contrary, they are enhancing them: never before in the world have there been so many words with such reach, authority, and freedom as in the immense Babel of today’s life.”
“Humanity will enter the third millennium under the reign of words…”
Gabriel García Márquez
Contrary to fears that images might overshadow words, these are more alive than ever: “Words invented, mistreated, or sanctified by the press, by disposable books, by advertising posters; spoken and sung on the radio, television, cinema, telephone, public loudspeakers; shouted with broad strokes on the walls of the streets or whispered into the ear in the shadows of love. No, the great vanquished is silence.” This statement by Gabo, as the Colombian writer was popularly known, was made at the dawn of the digital age and resonates even more strongly today, affirming the enduring influence and reach of words in our increasingly interconnected world.
SHAKESPEARE, THE WORDSMITH
William Shakespeare is credited with coining or inventing nearly 500 words that are still in use today, making him one of the most prolific contributors to the English language. His inventive use of language enriched the lexicon and showcased his creativity. Some examples of words that he introduced include bedazzled, meaning to impress or dazzle someone, and hurry, signifying a state of rush or urgency. However, John Milton is considered the greatest word-maker, being credited with introducing some 630 words to the English language. Without the poet, there would be no terms like liturgical, debauchery, or unhealthily.
IN OTHER WORL(D)S
PORTUGUESE
In 2023, the Academy of Sciences of Lisboa added around 30,000 new entries to the Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa. New terms include instagramável (instagrammable), meaning something that can be or is suitable to be published on Instagram, pós-verdade (post-truth), referring to the phenomenon of misinformation, which prioritises emotional appeal over factual accuracy, and eco-ansiedade (eco-anxiety), which describes the anxiety related to the impacts of climate change. Unnecessary loanwords have also been eliminated, such as entrecôte or maquillage, among many others. Additionally, new loanwords have arrived, such as startup, streaming and podcast.
The Brazilian Academy of Letters, in Rio de Janeiro, updates the online version of its Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa daily. Examples of new words are braillista, someone who has mastered the Braille system, or subcelebridade, a person who enjoys temporary fame for reasons other than professional prestige and that is often used with a negative connotation.
SPANISH
The Royal Spanish Academy, alongside the Association of Academies of the Spanish Language, updated the Diccionario de la Lengua Española (The Dictionary of the Spanish Language) in November 2023, incorporating 4,381 new words that reflect the diverse linguistic dynamics across Spanish-speaking countries. Among the notable additions are perreo, which refers to a dance typically performed to reggaeton music featuring suggestive hip movements, sinhogarismowhich describes the condition of being homeless and lacking means of sustenance, and machirulo, a colloquial term describing a man who exhibits the attitude of a ‘machista’.
POLISH
The Youth Word of the Year contest has been organised annually since 2016 by PWN, Poland’s leading dictionary publisher, and claims to be the largest poll of its kind in Europe. This contest invites the public to submit suggestions for popular words or phrases used by young people. A special committee then selects finalists for voting. The winner of the 2023 contest was rel, an abbreviation of the English term “relatable.” Rel gained popularity among young Poles as a way to express agreement or connection with someone’s experiences. Sigma, referring to a lone wolf mentality, came in second, while oporowo, meaning “intensely,” secured third place. The initiative enjoys scholarly backing from the University of Warsaw, highlighting its significance in contemporary Polish culture.
