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The Oxford English Dictionary is updated quarterly and the latest release has just been published with more than 650 new words, senses, and subentries added to the dictionary.
The new update came in a response to The Oxford English Dictionary’s #wordswhereyouare and #hobbywords campaigns where users can request for regional vocabulary and also words associated with specific hobbies. One popular British Indian phrase influenced the addition of the word “chuddies” (underpants): “Kiss my chuddies”. It has the same usage as the famous phrase “Eat My Shorts” by Bart Simpson in the hit TV series ‘The Simpsons’.
The English language is always changing as our vocabularies evolve and expand. New words tell us a lot about our society and culture. Not to mention, learning new words is a great way to enhance your use of the English language!
Let’s take a look at some of the new words added to the Oxford English Dictionary this March 2019.
Aperol, noun
Definition: “A proprietary name for: an orange-coloured Italian aperitif flavoured with gentian, rhubarb, and a variety of herbs and roots.” Aperol Spritz has to be one of Europe’s favourite drinks so we can cheers to the fact that Aperol has been official added to the Oxford English Dictionary as of this March!
Beaten-up, adjective
Definition: “Of an egg, liquid ingredients, etc.: stirred or whisked vigorously.” Bakers rejoice! You can now include in your recipe’s ingredients list beaten-up eggs.
Chipmunky, adjective
Definition: “Resembling or characteristic of a chipmunk, typically with reference to a person having prominent cheeks or a perky, mischievous character.” You can now describe that mischievous friend as having a chipmunky behaviour.
E-bike, noun
Definition: “An electric bike; = electric bicycle n. at electric adj. n.special uses 1b.” E-bikes and scooters have popped everywhere! It was about time this was added to the dictionary.
Favourite, verb
Definition: “transitive. To store a link to (a web page) in a web browser so as to enable quick access in future; to bookmark.” We all know the word favourite as an adjective but now it has been added to the dictionary as a verb due to popular usage amongst online web users who favourited their favourite sites.
Hir, Pronoun
Definition: “Used as a gender-neutral third person singular objective pronoun; cf. hir adj. In later use often corresponding to the subjective pronoun ze.” Hir and Zir have both been added in this update to include gender-neutral third person pronouns.
Peoplekind, Noun
Definition: “The human race; humankind.” The Oxford English Dictionary notes that peoplekind “was first used in the 1950s as a gender-neutral alternative to mankind or womankind. It has been included in the dictionary as part of this quarterly update.
Puggle, Noun
Definition: “A dog cross-bred from a pug and a beagle; such dogs considered collectively as a breed.” Lastly some representation for our furry friends: puggle!
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