Heart Symbol Latest 'Word' in Oxford Dictionary

Millions of failed words lie in Oxford room

(NEWSER) - Millions of words that just didn't make the cut according to the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary lie unused in a little-publicized vault owned by the Oxford University Press. The vault—whose existence was uncovered by a research student compiling a "Dictionary of Non-Words"—contains untold numbers of small cards, each bearing a word that was submitted but never approved, some of them centuries old. Newer failed words are digitized. More»

New features and bigger capacity make Wordnik a revolution in lexicography

(NEWSER) - Ever stumbled across an unfamiliar word and wondered not only what it means, but what it looks and sounds like? Or what other words it appears alongside most often, and how many times it’s been used in print this year? The revolutionary new dictionary Wordnik, set to go online this week, provides the curious logophile with all these features and more, reports the Christian Science Monitor. More»

It's official: 'Jeggings' is a word

(NEWSER) - Language purists, avert your eyes: The Oxford English Dictionary has added some new words. Here they are, along with the Daily Mirror 's helpful definitions:

• Mankini: "The revealing male bathing costume made famous by Sacha Baron Cohen in his Borat film."
• Retweet: "Sharing a Twitter message."

Justices citing definitions more and more in decisions

(NEWSER) - John Roberts may be the chief justice of the United States, but he recently pulled out a dictionary to learn the meaning of “of” for a ruling. Justices are looking more and more to dictionaries to help them settle cases—a trend that worries both legal experts and dictionary makers, the New York Times reports. “I think that it’s probably wrong, in almost all situations, to use a dictionary in the courtroom,” says an editor of the Oxford English Dictionary. Among the words looked up: "now," "if," and even "attorney." More»

It pokes fun at language rulebooks and grammar dictators

(NEWSER) - It's not the likeliest of Internet sensations, but the Fake AP Stylebook on Twitter is well worth the buzz it's getting, writes Mark Peters. Anyone who's been tormented by such rulebooks on language, or by sanctimonious grammarians, will rejoice. And laugh. Typical rule: "When referring to someone with a Ph.D. as 'doctor' immediately follow it with 'but, you know, not a REAL doctor.'" No wonder it's got 70,000 followers and a book deal in the works. More»