It is time once again for Merriam-Webster to officially add any worthy words to its English Collegiate dictionary, and we have the list of the 100 new words that you can now proudly say “Oh Yeah? Go look it up” when someone asks you about it.
The words are listed below, and the date is the first time Merriam-Webster could find them used in an English Publication:
- Air quotes (1989): gesture made by raising and flexing the index and middle fingers of both hands, used to call attention to a spoken word or expression.
- Dark energy (1998): hypothetical form of energy that produces a force that opposes gravity and is thought to cause the accelerating expansion of the universe.
- Dirty bomb (1956): bomb designed to release radioactive material.
- Dwarf planet (1993): celestial body that orbits the sun and has a spherical shape, but is too small to disturb other objects from its orbit.
- Edamame (1951): immature green soybeans, usually in the pod.
- Fanboy (1919): boy who is an enthusiastic devotee, such as of comics or movies.
- Infinity pool (1992): outdoor swimming pool with an edge over which water flows into a trough, but seems to flow into the horizon.
- Jukebox musical (1993): musical that features popular songs from the past.
- Kiteboarding (1996): the sport of riding on a small surfboard propelled across water by a large kite, to which the rider is harnessed.
- Malware (1990): software designed to interfere with a computer’s normal functioning.
- Mental health day (1971): day that an employee takes off from work to relieve stress or renew vitality.
- Mondegreen (1954): word or phrase that results from a mishearing of something said or sung. From the mishearing in a Scottish ballad of “laid him on the green” as “Lady Mondegreen.”
- Netroots (2003): grassroots political activists who communicate via the Internet, especially by blogs.
- Norovirus (2002): any of a genus of small round single-stranded RNA viruses; specifically, Norwalk virus.
- Pescatarian (1993): vegetarian whose diet includes fish.
- Phytonutrient (1994): bioactive, plant-derived compound (as resveratrol) associated with positive health effects.
- Pretexting (1992): presenting oneself as someone else to obtain private information.
- Prosecco (1881): a dry Italian sparkling wine.
- Racino (1995): racetrack at which slot machines are available for gamblers.
- Soju (1978): a Korean vodka distilled from rice.
- Subprime (1995) 1: having or being an interest rate that is higher than a prime rate and is extended especially to low-income borrowers; 2: extending or obtaining a subprime loan.
- Supercross (1983): motorcycle race held in a stadium on a dirt track having hairpin turns and high jumps.
- Texas Hold ’em (1995): Poker in which each player is dealt two cards face down and all players share five cards dealt face-up.
- Webinar (1998): live, online educational presentation during which participating viewers can submit questions and comments.
- Wing nut (circa 1900): Slang: one who advocates extreme measures or changes; radical.
There you have the list. Of course, I am disappointed, since NerdBeach is still not listed. Oh well, there is always next year.
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