Fellow word nerds, gather round, as we take a moment for one of our top pastimes, checking out the new words added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary this month.
(Other favorite pastimes, by the way, include doing the Sunday Times Crossword, and practicing yoga breathing when our kids text words like UR and YE.)
In all, there are 850 new words and compounds (if we’re going to be exact about it), but here are just a few favorites of mine that stand out. Some are so very 2018, some — well, honestly I’m surprised they weren’t already a part of the dictionary.
Now go forth and embiggen your vocabulary
wordie: Basically, you, if you’re reading this post.
self-care: Yes, this is in the dictionary! (We could have predicted that.)
glamping: Love the word or hate it, it’s now legit.
mansplain: The first known use of this word was actually 2008; the first known mansplaining, however, goes back to the first known man.
life hack: Parents are already the masters of this one. (Though we remain fans of Parent Hacks, specifically.)
cryptocurrency: Believe it or not, the word has been around since 1990.
subtweet: You know who’s good at this? The dictionary!
?A fact is a piece of information presented as having objective reality. https://t.co/gCKRZZm23c
— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) January 22, 2017
welp: Like a combo of “well” and “darn it.”
ooh: This is new to the dictionary? What?
Chiweenie: Sounds like a hot dog you’d get at a Cubs game, but it’s actually a Chihuahua-dachsund mix.
narcissistic personality disorder: You may have read about this oh…once or twice over the past couple of years.
dumpster fire: See above.
Dumpster fire stocking stuffer by Stitching My Sanity, from our 2016 Holiday Gift Guide.
dark chocolate: What? This was not in the dictionary already?
tzatziki: Don’t eat Greek without it
kombucha: This one’s for Kristen, who named this tea a Spawned Show cool pick of the week.
Harissa: Yum. The new dictionary words are making us hungry.
embiggen: Don’t worry, wordies, this one may hurt, but Merriam-Webster describes it as “informal and humorous.”
Still no “truthiness” in the dictionary, though. Or “alternative facts.” Maybe next month.
Top photo: Marcus dePaula on Unsplash
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