Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary Adds Over 150 New Words, Including Tweep and Selfie
Posted on May 19, 2014
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary has added over 150 new words to its 2014 edition. Some of the new words, such as tweep, hashtag and selfie, reflect the growing influence of social networking on society.
Tweep is defined as a "person who uses the Twitter online message service to send and receive tweets." Other technology related new words in the updated dictionary include crowdfunding, big data, gamification and steampunk.
The dictionary also added the word catfish, which refers to a person who sets up a false social networking profile for deceptive purposes. The word was popularized by the television series, Catfish. It increased in usage following the weird story of Manti Te'o's nonexistent girlfriend.
Peter Sokolowski, Editor at Large for Merriam-Webster, says in a statement, "So many of these new words show the impact of online connectivity to our lives and livelihoods. Tweep, selfie, and hashtag refer to the ways we communicate and share as individuals. Words like crowdfunding, gamification, and big data show that the Internet has changed business in profound ways."
Here are a few other new words for 2014:
- Fracking - the injection of fluid into shale beds at high pressure in order to free up petroleum resources
- Freegan - an activist who scavenges for free food
- Pho - a soup made of beef or chicken broth and rice noodles
- Turkducken - a boneless chicken stuffed into a boneless duck stuffed into a boneless turkey
- Poutine - a dish of French fries covered with brown gravy and cheese curds
- Yooper - a nickname used for a native or resident of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan