Daily Times

Merriam-Webster announced the addition of roughly 1,000 new words to the cultural lexicon on Tuesday. In a statement, the dictionary’s chief digital officer and publisher, Lisa Schneider, called the incorporation of new terms “a significant addition to our online dictionary, reflecting the breadth of English vocabulary and the speed with which we seek information”.

Several of the new words stem from common practices related to smartphone use and streaming, including “NSFW,” “binge-watch,” “photobomb,” “ghosting” and “shade.” Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster Editor At Large Peter Sokolowski, discussed the inclusion of “shade” in an interview. “This is social media speaking,” he said. “What I like about it is that it assumes a very highly informed reader. It assumes you will get the whole joke.”

But Schneider cautioned users against a one-dimensional portrayal of Merriam-Webster’s recent additions. “Even though it seems that the latest slang gets the most attention when dictionaries issue lists of new words, the additions come from the whole range of registers and from every corner of the language,” she noted. “In some cases, terms have been observed for years and are finally being added; in others, the fast rise and broad acceptance of a term has made for a quicker journey.”

Other new words were pulled from the recent discussions around pervasive social inequality, children’s literature and cognitive science. “Conlang” was added to describe made-up languages, like Klingon in ‘Star Trek’, while “snollygoster”, dropped from the dictionary in 2003 because it fell out of use, was added back into the mix after Bill O’Reilly started saying it again.