August 2011 saw the publication of the centenary edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary and, with it, around 400 new entries. The 12th edition of the COED provides some of the most up-to-date pop culture jargon.
Other dictionaries like Merriam-Webster and the COED’s historical companion, the Oxford English Dictionary, don’t lag far behind in defining new words that reflect today’s entertainment and technology-centered culture. Below is just a sample of the words that will no longer be undefined.
Concise Oxford English Dictionary
New words as of Aug. 2011
Cougar (cou·gar) (n.) an older woman seeking a sexual relationship with a younger man
Domestic goddess (do·mes·tic god·dess) (n.) a woman with exceptional domestic skills, especially one who excels at preparing meals.
Mankini (man·ki·ni) (n.) a brief one-piece swimsuit for men, with a T-back.
Retweet (re·tweet) (v.) (on the social networking service Twitter) repost or forward (a messaage posted by another user)
Woot (woot) exclamation; informal (especially in electronic communication) used to express elation, enthusiasm, or triumph
Oxford English Dictionary
New words as of Sep. 2011
Black book (black book) (n.) an address book, spec. one used to record the names and contact details of (potential) sexual partners. Also fig. Freq. in little black book.
Blackberry (black·berry) n. a proprietary name for: a type of pager or smartphone capable of sending and receiving email messages.
Homie (ho·mie) (n.) slang (orig. and chiefly in African-American use) a person from one’s home town or neighbourhood; a member of one’s peer group or gang; a homeboy or homegirl. In later use also: a member of the hip-hop subculture. Also as a form of address.
La-la land (la·la land) (n.) a state of being out of touch with reality; a (notional) place characterized by blissful unawareness, self-absorption, fantasy, etc.
Lettermanesque (Let·ter·man·esque) (adj.) characteristic of or resembling David letterman or his comedic presenting style, esp. in being acerbic, irreverent, or sarcastic.
Shitcan (shit·can) (v.) to dismiss or discharge (a person) from a position; to fire.
Take-no-shit (take no shit) (adj.) slang. Uncompromising, single-minded, no-nonsense.
Merriam Webster
New words as of Aug. 2011
Boomerang child (boo·mer·ang child) n. a young adult who returns to live at his or her family home especially for financial reasons.
Bromance (bro·mance) n. a close nonsexual friendship between men.
Fist bump (fist bump) n. a gesture in which two people bump their fists together (as in greeting or celebration).
Channing Hailey can be reached at channing.hailey@spartans.ut.edu.
Love it. Can hardly wait to see where we are at in 10 years.