Dictionary.com have added a whopping 620 new entries into their system this year, nearly twice as many new words as the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
“Let’s set things straight,” the reference website said.
“A word doesn’t become a ‘real word’ when we add it to the dictionary. It’s actually the other way around: we add a word to the dictionary because it is a real word used by real people in the real world.”
Among the new entries:
- Churn rate – the percentage of employees that cycle through a company.
- Pawternity leave – when people take leave from work to welcome a new pet into their home.
- Sock puppet – a false name or identity assumed by an internet user, often to deceive or to preserve the user’s anonymity.
- Bachelorx party – an inclusive pre-wedding party (basically a buck’s night where all revellers are welcome).
- Stimming – the repetition of physical movements or articulated noises exhibited by people, especially children and those with autism spectrum disorders.
The Random House Dictionary (the source for Dictionary.com) also added 700 new definitions for existing entries and 3,100 revised definitions.
One of these definitions is ‘at’ – sometimes written as ‘@’ – which, as a verb, means to argue with someone, or dispute someone’s stated views, especially on social media.
The full list (it’s a LOT) can be found here
Please don’t @ me.
