Oxford English Dictionary – News Stories About Oxford English Dictionary - Page 1

Oxford Dictionary Picks
Its Word of the Year

Oxford Dictionary Picks Its Word of the Year

2022 was the time to go 'goblin mode'

(Newser) - The prestigious Oxford English Dictionary put this year's selection of its word of the year in the hands of voters for the first time, and it wasn't a close fight. "Goblin mode" won in a landslide, reports the BBC . For those unfamiliar, the dictionary defines the term...

'Pawternity Leave' Among
Dictionary.com's New Words

Oct 4, 2022 1:51 PM CDT

'Pawternity Leave' Among Dictionary.com's New Words

Dictionary.com added nearly twice as many new words as Merriam-Webster in 2022

(Newser) - It’s new-word season in the dictionary world. First, as every dictionary editor likes to point out, dictionaries do not invent words, they merely document them. As staffers at Dictionary.com put it, "a word doesn’t become a 'real word' when we add it to the dictionary...

For 2nd Year, OED's Word of the Year Links to Pandemic

Oxford's Word of the Year
Is an 'Attention-Grabbing' One

Nov 1, 2021 10:05 AM CDT

Oxford's Word of the Year Is an 'Attention-Grabbing' One

'No word better captures the atmosphere of the past year than vax'

(Newser) - If you never want to hear anything about the pandemic ever again, there's one word you'll have to endure for at least another 15 minutes as it enjoys another moment in the sun. Oxford Languages has deemed "vax" its word of the year, with senior editor Fiona...

Oxford English Dictionary
Adds 26 Korean Words

Oct 5, 2021 5:14 PM CDT

Oxford English Dictionary Adds 26 Korean Words

They include a term for the world's growing interest in South Korean culture

(Newser) - The Korean wave has swept over the Oxford English Dictionary, which included more than two dozen new entries for words of Korean origin in its latest edition. The dictionary, which describes itself as the "definitive record of the English language," says the growing global popularity of Korean culture...

COVID Changed Everything. Even Oxford's Word of the Year

2020 'Left Us Speechless.' The
Word of the Year Reflects That

Nov 23, 2020 8:24 AM CST

2020 'Left Us Speechless.' The Word of the Year Reflects That

Oxford simply couldn't pick just one

(Newser) - In 2019, Oxford Languages' word (or term, rather) of the year was "climate emergency." In 2020, however, the publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary ran into a conundrum : It soon realized that this year has been like no other, and one that simply couldn't be summed up...

Oxford Alters Its Definition of 'Woman'—Up to a Point

Dictionary Changes Its
Definition of 'Woman'

Nov 8, 2020 3:30 PM CST

Dictionary Changes Its Definition of 'Woman'

But Oxford Dictionaries clings to the notion that the 'b-word' means 'woman'

(Newser) - Oxford University Press has amended its dictionaries after a pressure campaign alleged "derogatory" and "sexist" definitions of the word "woman," the Guardian reports. Among the changes to Oxford Dictionaries: A woman is now listed as "a person's wife, girlfriend, or female lover" instead of...

Oxford Reveals
Word of the Year

Nov 15, 2018 1:10 PM CST

Oxford Reveals Word of the Year

It's "toxic"

(Newser) - Oxford Dictionaries has revealed 2018's Word of the Year, and it's not an uplifting one: "toxic." Oxford says it found a 45% increase in searches for that word on oxforddictionaries.com, and also explained that the word is increasingly being used both literally and figuratively. NPR...

Oxford Dictionary
Boasts a New
Final Word

Jun 27, 2017 12:47 PM CDT

Oxford Dictionary Boasts a New Final Word

'Zyzzyva' has been added, as have 'post-truth,' 'unclick,' and a word describing sperm

(Newser) - And you thought "covfefe" was hard to pronounce. The Oxford English Dictionary has added more than 1,200 new "words, phrases, and senses" to its tome, per a blog post , and among them is an entry that nabs the spot as the last word in the book. "...

Donald Trump
Inspired This
Word of the Year

Nov 16, 2016 9:33 AM CST

Donald Trump Inspired This Word of the Year

'Post-truth' gets the nod from Oxford Dictionaries

(Newser) - Oxford Dictionaries has taken inspiration from the US election in choosing its 2016 word of the year: "post-truth." How does "post-truth" relate to Donald Trump? Well, Oxford's own definition of the adjective—use of which spiked 2,000% this year, especially when Trump won the Republican...

Here Are the Latest Additions
to Oxford English Dictionary

Sep 12, 2016 12:44 PM CDT

Here Are the Latest Additions to Oxford English Dictionary

'Yolo' made the cut

(Newser) - The latest slang to be added to the Oxford English Dictionary: "yolo," which, as all the youngsters know, stands for "you only live once." The new crop of more than 1,000 words and terms added to the OED also includes "gender-fluid," "yogalates"...

The 'Word of the Year'
Isn't a Word

Nov 16, 2015 6:20 PM CST

The 'Word of the Year' Isn't a Word

But it does mean something very expressive

(Newser) - At least it's not an ancient Egyptian pictogram. While this year's Oxford Dictionaries word of the year is not an actual word, it is a popular image: the "face with tears of joy" emoji, Newsweek reports. "You can see how traditional alphabet scripts have been struggling...

At Oxford Dictionary,
It's Now 'Wine O'Clock'

Aug 27, 2015 10:22 AM CDT

At Oxford Dictionary, It's Now 'Wine O'Clock'

'Manspreading,' 'butt-dial' also new additions to Oxford's online dictionary

(Newser) - Manspreading is so widespread it's now a word. The term, coined by commuters, refers to men on public transportation who splay their legs wide and encroach on neighboring seats—and it's now been added to OxfordDictionaries.com . The free online dictionary of current usage, created by the publishers...