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[CountAntonius]

Via Time

Merriam-Webster has revealed 150 new words that will be added to its collegiate dictionary this year, ranging from 'hashtag' and 'catfish' to 'dubstep' and 'crowdfunding,' most of which speak to some intersection of pop culture, technology and the Internet

Today Merriam-Webster, America’s best known keeper of words, announced new entries for their collegiate dictionary in 2014. Among them are telling specimens like selfie, hashtag and steampunk, reflecting lasting cultural obsessions that have become widespread enough to earn a place in the big red book.

Here is a selection of the new words, with their definitions and the earliest year Merriam-Webster editors could find them being used:

Auto-Tune (v., 2003): to adjust or alter (a recording of a voice) with Auto-Tune software or other audio-editing software esp. to correct sung notes that are out of tune

baby bump (n., 2003): the enlarged abdomen of a pregnant woman

brilliant (adj., new sense): British: very good, excellent

catfish (n., new sense): a person who sets up a false personal profile on a social networking site for fraudulent or deceptive purposes

crowdfunding (n., 2006): the practice of soliciting financial contributions from a large number of people esp. from the online community

dubstep (n., 2002): a type of electronic dance music having prominent bass lines and syncopated drum patterns

e-waste (n., 2004): waste consisting of discarded electronic products (as computers, televisions, and cell phones)

fangirl (n., 1934): a girl or woman who is an extremely or overly enthusiastic fan of someone or something

freegan (n., 2006): an activist who scavenges for free food (as in waste receptacles at stores and restaurants) as a means of reducing consumption of resources

gamification (n., 2010): the process of adding game or gamelike elements to something (as a task) so as to encourage participation

hashtag (n., 2008): a word or phrase preceded by the symbol # that clarifies or categorizes the accompanying text (such as a tweet)

hot spot (n., new sense): a place where a wireless Internet connection is available

paywall (n., 2004): a system that prevents Internet users from accessing certain Web content without a paid subscription

selfie (n., 2002): an image of oneself taken by oneself using a digital camera esp. for posting on social networks.

social networking (n., 1998): the creation and maintenance of personal and business relationships esp. online

Spoiler

spoiler alert

(n., 1994): a reviewer’s warning that a plot spoiler is about to be revealed

steampunk (n., 1987): science fiction dealing with 19th-century societies dominated by historical or imagined steam-powered technology

turducken (n., 1982): a boneless chicken stuffed into a boneless duck stuffed into a boneless turkey

tweep (n., 2008): a person who uses the Twitter online message service to send and receive tweets

unfriend (v., 2003): to remove (someone) from a list of designated friends on a person’s social networking Web site

More at the link. Some of these are terrible.

 

[John Dunbar]

More at the link. Some of these are terrible.

what makes them terrible?

 

[Vulcano's assistant]

revengeance next year

 

[Zeppeli]

turducken confirmed for canon

 

[Kallor]

So much worthlessness. Step yo game up, humanity.

 

[HUELEN10]

Wait... Fracking wasn't in webster's before!?!?!

Good grief...

 

[Masquerader]

Did Omnishambles make it in already, or did they criminally leave out the best word ever made in recent memory~?

 

[CountAntonius]

what makes them terrible?

Mostly that I hate them and hoped they were just catch phrases that would never be legitimized. Baby bump for example.

 

[themagicalkitsune]

At least there's no swag..?

 

[dekline]

Sucks that I need to drive about an hour to get some good ass pho. Totally worth it though.

 

[Volimar]

Maisie Williams reaction to the fact that “selfie” was chosen as Oxford’s word of the year 2013:

 

[RobotNinjaHornets]

Wait.

Brilliant?

What the fuck?

 

[Timeaisis]

Finally, Turducken has it's day.

 

[WrenchNinja]

revengeance next year

That's actually a real word

 

[collige]

Most of these seem pretty natural. A few are just made up bullshit though.

 

[Miker]

revengeance next year

I hope so too. I say a twitter campaign is in order.

 

[Crayons]

It's cool that cyberpunk is a word.

All those Facebook/Twitter words suck, though.

 

[John Dunbar]

Mostly that I hate them and hoped they were just catch phrases that would never be legitimized. Baby bump for example.

they were legitimized when people started using them. dictionaries only describe how language is used.

 

[The Culture Vulture]

Not sweating any of these words for my daily crossword puzzle.

 

[Tregard]

brilliant (adj., new sense): British: very good, excellent

It hasn't always meant that?!

 

[Hilbert]

Mostly that I hate them and hoped they were just catch phrases that would never be legitimized. Baby bump for example.

Dictionaries don't create language. They record how language is used.

It hasn't always meant that?!

For me, brilliant has always just meant very intelligent. But with more british media making it over to the US(Mirriam Webster is an American dictionary), you hear it to mean Great more and more now.

 

[CountAntonius]

they were legitimized when people started using them. dictionaries only describe how language is used.

Plenty of words people use that aren't in the dictionary.

Dictionaries don't create language. They record how language is used.

I get it. I can still hate the use however.

 

[Borgnine]

Pretty fetch list.

 

[Hypemaster]

lmao catfish, bout time.

 

[Tregard]

For me, brilliant has always just meant very intelligent. But with more british media making it over to the US(Mirriam Webster is an American dictionary), you hear it to mean Great more and more now.

Aah, I never realised that was a British-ism.

 

[Tambini]

Tweep

Never heard that in my life

 

[chadtwo]

Wow, dubstep has been a term since 2002?

 

[Slayer-33]

No yolo rag or yolo bomber?

 

[Hilbert]

Wow, dubstep has been a term since 2002?

I was actually rather surprised Baby Bump has only been around since 2003.

 

[Kerned]

Yooper (n., 1977): a native or resident of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan — used as a nickname

Surprised to see that this one is just now finding its way in. Maybe I have a different perspective because I live in Michigan (though I am not a Yooper).

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

It saddens me to see the delicious when fried, earthquake predicting catfish to be brought so low...

 

[block tower]

revengeance next year

ahahaha. you joke, but itll happen.

 

[Sub_Level]

revengeance next year

Fuck yeah.

 

[terrisus]

 

[jerry1594]

... but first, let me take a selfie!

 

[Inversive]

brilliant wasn't in the dictionary? what the fuck please. Is this the yank dictionary or the real oxford one?

 

[terrisus]

what makes them terrible?

they were legitimized when people started using them. dictionaries only describe how language is used.

Looks like we have a Descriptivist over here.

Let's get him!

 

[Hilbert]

brilliant wasn't in the dictionary? what the fuck please

That particular meaning of brilliant wasn't in the dictionary. That is not the typical American usage.

 

[injurai]

Wow, dubstep has been a term since 2002?

Not to revive a 2010-2011 crusade, but what many know as dubstep (whilst growing out of a sliver of the scene) really is not indicative of the sound or genre at all.

 

[Inversive]

That particular meaning of brilliant wasn't in the dictionary. That is not the typical American usage.

oh ok, fair enough.

 

[Curtisaur]

Maisie Williams reaction to the fact that “selfie” was chosen as Oxford’s word of the year 2013:

[IG]http://i.imgur.com/kxTUAly.gif[/IMG]

[IG]http://i.imgur.com/adhVBP7.gif[/IMG]

[IG]http://i.imgur.com/wuwjBfo.gif[/IMG]

[IG]http://i.imgur.com/Q6VdYTc.gif[/IMG]

Can she react to GIFs being split into 8000 different pieces next?

 

[BananaSprinkles]

tweep (n., 2008): a person who uses the Twitter online message service to send and receive tweets

Has anyone on the planet ever used this word? I thought everybody referred to twitter users as "twitter users."

 

[terrisus]

tweep (n., 2008): a person who uses the Twitter online message service to send and receive tweets

Has anyone on the planet ever used this word? I thought everybody referred to twitter users as "twitter users."

I always figured it was "Twerp"

Either that, or:

 

[DECK'ARD]

Has anyone on the planet ever used this word? I thought everybody referred to twitter users as "twitter users."

The Oxford English Dictionary recognises 'tweeps' but not tweep:

A person’s followers on the social media website Twitter:
he told his tweeps he was going to a Bruce Springsteen concert
millions of tweeps follow their every tweet

Twitter + peeps, that makes some sense at least.

Never heard anyone use it though.

 

[dorkimoe]

the word selfie drives me crazy. its a fucking photograph, it always has been

 

[George Oscar Bluth II]

Wait, what? Brilliant?

 

[Hilbert]

the word selfie drives me crazy. its a fucking photograph, it always has been

Of course selfie is a photo, that's part of its meaning, but it also means something different than just 'photo'. The word describes something that previously we didn't have a word for. I think that's awesome.

 

[Glass Rebel]

as a descriptivist this list makes me happy

 

[Kano on the Phone]

Mostly that I hate them and hoped they were just catch phrases that would never be legitimized. Baby bump for example.

They're just words.

 

[Speedy Blue Dude]

What the fuck is a "tweep"? Never heard that term before.