FutureWire - futurism and emerging technology

Wednesday, October 20, 2004

New Words in the Oxford English Dictionary

When words enter highly respected dictionaries such as the Oxford English Dictionary, we learn something about where society is headed, what it considers important, and what it figures is here to stay (at least for a while). After all, editors of these publications make changes only after much careful thought and deliberation.

The Oxford University Press has published a list of words to be added to the latest edition of its hallowed dictionary. Technology terms that made the cut include bioweapon, blogosphere, cybercrime, desk jockey, designer baby, flash mob, guestbook, infowar, m-commerce, nanobot, plasma screen, pop-up, satphone, and spyware. Also included were jihad, metrosexual, mini-me, punditocracy, sex (as a verb, as to "sex something up"), sky marshal, urban (as in "urban music"), va-va-voom, weekend warrior, and wiggle room.

Source: WorldChanging