SO MANY COOL NEW WORDS
The Merriam-Webster dictionary has just grown a little bigger (and heavier). More than 150 new words have just been added to it. Many of them are related to technology and show how our lives are becoming more connected online.
Among the new words is "selfie" which was named Oxford English dictionary's 2013 word of the year. Merriam-Webster defined "selfie" as "an image of oneself taken by oneself using a digital camera especially for posting on social networks." You can read our earlier story about selfies here.
Japanese astronaut Aki Hoshide took a selfie during his spacewalk in September 2012. Wikipedia
Other words are "tweep" and "hashtag" that refer to the ways we communicate and share stuff online.
Business-related words were also added, such as "crowdfunding" "big data" and "gamification". How about testing your parents on these words? You will probably find out that they already know these words!
Other new fun words were added too, such as:
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turducken - a boneless chicken stuffed into a boneless duck stuffed into a boneless turkey
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pho - a soup made of beef or chicken broth and rice noodles
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baby bump - the tummy of a pregnant woman
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freegan - an activist who looks for free food in waste bins of restaurants as a way of consuming fewer resources. An activist is someone who believes strongly in a specific cause or concern, such as saving the environment.
Flickr user Trevor
Had enough of new cool words? Here are some five old and seldom-used words that have been around for a long time. Who said old can't be cool too?
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Crapulous: To feel ill because of excessive eating/drinking. Example: She ate so much last night that she was crapulous the next day.
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Grumpish: Sullen, irritable, ill-tempered. An alternative to grumpy. Example: He's feeling grumpish. Let's not bother him today.
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Snowbroth: melted snow. Example: Now that the sun is out, the streets are covered in snowbroth.
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Brabble: To argue loudly about something unimportant. Example: It's such a waste of time to brabble about who gets in the car first.
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Borborygmus: the rumbling sound made by your tummy. Example: Excuse my borborygmus. I haven't had a thing to eat all day.
