

More information on Merriam-Webster’s new entries, as well as the dictionary’s criteria for adopting new terms, can be found at Merriam-Webster.Recent Examples on the Web: Verb To accommodate these folks, the ship will add more digital screens in public areas and add staff members who can assist with in-person bookings. “Dad bods” aren’t necessarily a bad thing, as the dictionary entry suggests: Merriam-Webster cited three usages of the term, including one from which jokingly called it a “sought-after physique,” and another from WDAF journalist Abby Eden, who recently noted that dad bods had become a “hot new look” in the 2010s. Perhaps the silliest definition, however, belongs to “dad bod,” which entered the dictionary thanks to its “staying power” in the English language.ĭad bod (informal): a physique regarded as typical of an average father especially : one that is slightly overweight and not extremely muscular. Online slang including FTW (for the win), TBH (to be honest), and “amirite” (an alternate spelling of “Am I right?”) were also added.Īrguably more surprising is a new definition for the word “because,” which reflects its colloquial usage “to convey vagueness,” such as when someone ends a statement they purport to be true by saying “because reasons.”Ī couple of culinary words also made the update, including “ghost kitchen” to describe a restaurant that only exists to offer takeout, and “fluffernutter” to define a sandwich made with peanut butter and marshmallow crème. “Bit rot,” for instance, refers to the degradation of digital information over time, while “copypasta” is defined as data that has been copied and pasted across the internet. It wasn’t all about medical maladies for Merriam-Webster - the dictionary added tons of techy terms, too. Merriam-Webster also added “long COVID,” a term which, like the medical condition it describes, likely isn’t going anywhere for a long time.

“It’s not surprising that these changes are reflected in the dictionary.”Īmong the new words and definitions, the editors at Merriam-Webster included several terms coined amid the pandemic, including: “breakthrough,” to describe an infection occurring in a vaccinated person “super-spreader,” defined as an event or location where many people contract such an infection and “vaccine passport,” referring to a document that provides proof of vaccination.

“We are all encountering changes in work, public policy, and healthcare, as well as how we communicate online,” said Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster editor at large, in a statement included with Wednesday’s press release.

Weather: Colder air moves into eastern New Mexico overnight.KRQE En Español: Miercoles 5 de Enero 2022.Community: First in the country: UNM offering online Chicano Studies MA program.to send inmates’ mail out-of-state for drug screening
