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Post by housemouse on Oct 19, 2006 11:56:05 GMT -5
Because English is a dead language which does not acquiesce to playfulness, nor alters, grows, or ever encompasses new words, I bring you-- Here is an article from USA Today listing some of the words recently added to an English Dictionary: SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — Need tips on how to groom a unibrow or soul patch? Just google it. Or get a mouse potato to do it for you. If you're still lost, grab the latest edition of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary for a definition of those and about 100 other words that have made their way into its pages.
But be warned: you might come across a drama queen (a person given to often excessively emotional performances or reactions), an empty suit (an ineffectual executive), or a himbo (an attractive but vacuous man — think "male bimbo".)
"We try to have a mix that address the wide range of people's information needs when adding new words," said John Morse, president of the Springfield-based dictionary publisher. "It could be a technical term or some lighthearted slang that sends people to a dictionary."
To make it into the dictionary, a word has to be more than a flash-in-the-pan fad. It needs staying power.
"We need evidence that the word is showing up in publications that people are reading on an everyday basis," Morse said. Lexicographers comb through national newspapers, entertainment magazines, trade journals and websites in search of new words and phrases.
As has been the case during the past several years, Merriam-Webster's lexicographers have been largely preoccupied with technology and computers.
Along with defining an intensive computer user as a "mouse potato" (a popular twist on the late 1990's "couch potato" entry), they have given formal definition to one of the Internet's most recognizable names.
"Google is definitely a verb," said Dan Reynolds, a 35-year-old salesman at YES Computers in Northampton. "Google has become like a secondary brain for a lot of people. If you want quick info on something, that's what you do. You google it."
Respectful of the trademark, Merriam-Webster has lowercased the entry but maintains the capitalization while explaining that the verb means "to use the Google search engine" to retrieve online information.
"We're defining a trademark as a verb, just like we did with the word xerox," Morse said.
But don't think the folks at Merriam-Webster are just a bunch of "computer geeks" (a phrase they entered in the dictionary three years ago) — there's a hip side to tracking words.
They're up on their "bling" as a way of describing glitzy jewelry.
And the aforementioned "soul patch" — that small growth of beard under a man's lip that seems to fade in and out of fashion every few decades — is certainly much cooler in Merriam-Webster's offices than the growing together of eyebrows in the often-mocked "unibrow."
The editors are also catching up with health and science issues, entering "avian influenza" and cross-referencing the virus entry with the more popular "bird flu."
Environmentalists and alternative energy fans should be heartened by the addition of "biodiesel," which is a fuel made partly with vegetable sources.
"That symbolizes to me that biodiesel is becoming a household word," said Jenna Higgins, a spokeswoman for the National Biodiesel Board. "You know you've arrived when you're in the dictionary."Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, The words in bold were ones recently added to the Merriam Webster dictionary. Several of them are playful and all of them are new. |
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Post by shmeep on Oct 19, 2006 12:49:03 GMT -5
It's surprising to me how many of those "new" words are in my vocabulary. It doesn't surprise me that I use them, but it does surprise me that they have recently acquired new word status. The funniest one on the list--and completely new to me--was "himbo." Heh! I know guys like that and I'm glad there's finally a male version of "bimbo" because it's long overdue.
Taking liberties with English is fun and it is largely responsible for growing our language and for expanding the boundaries of our wit. When a truly clever word or phrase is used that perfectly encompasses a previously under-described concept, it brings me joy. There can be a downside, though. Not all linguistic innovations are "brillig." Some are merely "bandersnatch" and that can take the wit out of otherwise witty concepts.
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Post by housemouse on Oct 19, 2006 13:18:22 GMT -5
I like "himbo" too. I'll bet "metrosexual" is in there before long.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2006 13:43:52 GMT -5
I like "himbo" too. I'll bet "metrosexual" is in there before long.  It is! met·ro·sex·u·al Function: noun Etymology: 2metropolitan + -sexual (as in 2heterosexual) : a usually urban heterosexual male given to enhancing his personal appearance by fastidious grooming, beauty treatments, and fashionable clothes courtesy of www.miriamwebster.com |
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Post by shmeep on Oct 19, 2006 13:55:47 GMT -5
met·ro·sex·u·al Function: noun Etymology: 2metropolitan + -sexual (as in 2heterosexual) : a usually urban heterosexual male given to enhancing his personal appearance by fastidious grooming, beauty treatments, and fashionable clothes courtesy of www.miriamwebster.comThanks, Bebe! I'm all too familiar with the concept of metrosexual, seeing as how I married one. I'm not at all surprised that the word has already been absorbed into our lexicon. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2006 14:21:43 GMT -5
met·ro·sex·u·al Function: noun Etymology: 2metropolitan + -sexual (as in 2heterosexual) : a usually urban heterosexual male given to enhancing his personal appearance by fastidious grooming, beauty treatments, and fashionable clothes courtesy of www.miriamwebster.comThanks, Bebe! I'm all too familiar with the concept of metrosexual, seeing as how I married one. I'm not at all surprised that the word has already been absorbed into our lexicon. I married one too!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And it's oh, so sexy.......... |
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Post by awlrite4now on Oct 19, 2006 14:28:20 GMT -5
Because English is a dead language which does not acquiesce to playfulness, nor alters, grows, or ever encompasses new words, I bring you-- Here is an article from USA Today listing some of the words recently added to an English Dictionary: So glad you recognised how greenbeing made her point that English is continually evolving and can still be fun, even if there are still the grammar police who want to keep anything not "proper" from usage! If the language didn't evolve, we'd not know about zippers, velcro, kleenex, pixels, bytes, nanoseconds, and cellular phones. Isn't it a wonderful world? |
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Post by shmeep on Oct 19, 2006 14:28:36 GMT -5
I married one too!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And it's oh, so sexy.......... I honestly can't tell if that's sarcasm (the part about it being sexy--I believe you when you say you married a metrosexual  ) or not, but...I am glad to have a husband who always smells delightful. The three brothers I grew up with have a handle on personal hygiene to varying degrees, but I'm relieved not to ever be exposed to the types of smells that assaulted my nostrils while I was growing up in that male-dominated household. |
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Post by inuvik on Oct 19, 2006 14:36:26 GMT -5
The three brothers I grew up with have a handle on personal hygiene to varying degrees, but I'm relieved not to ever be exposed to the types of smells that assaulted my nostrils while I was growing up in that male-dominated household. Yuck!  I'm glad I have no idea what you mean, never having lived with a male except when I was too young to remember! Blech! I realize we are now going off topic here! |
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Post by shmeep on Oct 19, 2006 14:38:58 GMT -5
So glad you recognised how greenbeing made her point that English is continually evolving and can still be fun, even if there are still the grammar police who want to keep anything not "proper" from usage! I don't think anyone would attest that English is not a growing language with room for fun in it. The examples being cited in this thread are nothing like what triggered the creation of this thread in the first place. None of this has anything to do with grammar. Modified to add:In case anyone is going to be very literal about my last sentence, I mean, of course, that policing grammar is not the issue here. |
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Post by awlrite4now on Oct 19, 2006 14:53:35 GMT -5
So glad you recognised how greenbeing made her point that English is continually evolving and can still be fun, even if there are still the grammar police who want to keep anything not "proper" from usage! I don't think anyone would attest that English is not a growing language with room for fun in it. The examples being cited in this thread are nothing like what triggered the creation of this thread in the first place. None of this has anything to do with grammar. Modified to add:In case anyone is going to be very literal about my last sentence, I mean, of course, that policing grammar is not the issue here. Gosh, I just thought since GB was the original quote here, and that she was so obviously writing a tongue-in-cheek post about how language is "bestest" when you play with it...that this was an offshoot of that thread as not to take that thread off topic. That was all that I was saying. Not implying anything else. |
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Post by housemouse on Oct 19, 2006 14:58:54 GMT -5
Here is an article from USA Today listing some of the words recently added to an English Dictionary: So glad you recognised how greenbeing made her point that English is continually evolving and can still be fun, even if there are still the grammar police who want to keep anything not "proper" from usage! If the language didn't evolve, we'd not know about zippers, velcro, kleenex, pixels, bytes, nanoseconds, and cellular phones. Isn't it a wonderful world? Thank you for recognizing that I recognize how greenbeing made her point regarding the evolution of the English language. |
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Post by awlrite4now on Oct 19, 2006 15:05:14 GMT -5
So glad you recognised how greenbeing made her point that English is continually evolving and can still be fun, even if there are still the grammar police who want to keep anything not "proper" from usage! If the language didn't evolve, we'd not know about zippers, velcro, kleenex, pixels, bytes, nanoseconds, and cellular phones. Isn't it a wonderful world? Thank you for recognizing that I recognize how greenbeing made her point regarding the evolution of the English language. Of course! She was being totally tongue-in-cheek with her post, and you saw that. Good! We all need a good laugh around here, and this can help. |
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Post by inuvik on Oct 19, 2006 15:08:39 GMT -5
Glad we are we all "bestest" friends again. Anyone who misinterpreted anything can now say: "My bad!" (There. This post now has an example of both word twisting and a relatively new phrase).  |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2006 15:47:57 GMT -5
I married one too!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And it's oh, so sexy.......... I honestly can't tell if that's sarcasm (the part about it being sexy--I believe you when you say you married a metrosexual ) or not, but...I am glad to have a husband who always smells delightful. The three brothers I grew up with have a handle on personal hygiene to varying degrees, but I'm relieved not to ever be exposed to the types of smells that assaulted my nostrils while I was growing up in that male-dominated household. No, I'm really serious! I love that he takes an interest in himself and appearance, I really find that totally appealing - and certainly not vain! He puts as much energy and concern in everything he does. The first thing I noticed about him was his clean, beautifully manicured nails (insert Fr. Flynn joke here); nothing grosses me out more than a chew-bitten hand. And, well, you've seen his pic, so..... ;D |
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It is!
) or not, but...I am glad to have a husband who always smells delightful. The three brothers I grew up with have a handle on personal hygiene to varying degrees, but I'm relieved not to ever be exposed to the types of smells that assaulted my nostrils while I was growing up in that male-dominated household. 
I'm glad I have no idea what you mean, never having lived with a male except when I was too young to remember! Blech!