Since The Millenium the Oxford English Dictionary has added new words every 3 months in order to keep-up with modern times. In this latest revision, a bumper crop of over 900 new entries including “beatboxer” and “Old Etonian” have been approved by the publication.
So why do we have so many new words?
Well, with the advancement of technology, the current political climate and our creativity when it comes to insults, the evolution of the English language is inevitable.
Here are our top 5 new additions to the Oxford English Dictionary family in March 2014.
bestie (n.): a person’s best friend; a very close friend.
bookaholic (n.): a habitual and prolific reader; a compulsive book buyer.
DIYer (n.): A person who engages in do-it-yourself activities; an amateur (in construction, repair, etc.).
scissor-kick (v): to perform a kick which involve a scissor-like motion of the legs, as in swimming or soccer.
wackadoodle (adj.): crazy, mad; eccentric
In total there are more than 600,000 words in the dictionary and each of these words is currently undergoing a thorough revision. Over 400 members of staff are working painstakingly through the list, examining and revising the meaning of each word in order to deliver the most up-to-date information to the public.
Click here to see a full list of the new words, sub-entries and senses.
20 March 2014 09:15