Stock image of young cook in white chef uniform holding a plate with meat dish and making delicious italian gesture over grey background.Photo:Getty
Getty
“Thirst trap,” “chef’s kiss,” “‘grammable” and “beast mode” are just some of the new words that have now received the official stamp of approval fromMerriam-Webster.
The renowned dictionary announced in a news release Wednesday that it has added 690 words and definitions — nearly twice the number of new entries from last year.
Among the entries that made it to this year’s list include such slang words as “doggo” (“dog”), “rizz” (romantic appeal or charm) and “GOATED” (considered to be the greatest of all time), the release said.
Social media terms figure prominently in the new definitions: In addition to “thirst trap” (“desperately seeking attention”) and “‘grammable” (“suitable to be posted on Instagram”), there’s also “finsta,” (a “secret or incognito account on the Instagram photo-sharing service”).
Meanwhile, “bracketology,” another new entry into Merriam-Webster’s, will sound familiar to fans who fill out their brackets of NCAA basketball teams during March Madness.
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Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary and mobile website are displayed September 23, 2016 in Springfield, Massachusetts.Joanne K. Watson/Merriam-Webster via Getty
Joanne K. Watson/Merriam-Webster via Getty
Other words that also appeared on Merriam-Webster’s list of new entries include “UAP” (“unidentified aerial phenomenon”), “smishing” (“the practice of sending text messages to someone in order to trick the person into revealing personal or confidential information which can then be used for criminal purposes”) and “rage quit” (“to quit (something) in anger”).
Last September, Merriam-Webster added 370 words and terms, including as “sus,” “baller,” “oat milk” and “booster dose.”
In 2021, Sokolowski explained toTodayhow a new word qualifies to be in the dictionary: “If a word is used frequently in publications such asThe New York TimesorThe Atlantic, then it goes into the dictionary. We need to see it appear in carefully edited prose over a period of time — and not just in memes and on social media.”
source: people.com
