Merriam-Webster.com is displayed on a computer screen on Friday, Dec. 6, 2019, in New York. Merriam-Webster has added 455 new words to its venerable dictionary, including a number of abbreviations and slang terms that have become ubiquitous on social media.(AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)
Dad bod, amirite, TBH and FTW are now dictionary-appropriate.
Merriam-Webster has added 455 new words to its venerable dictionary, including a number of abbreviations and slang terms that have become ubiquitous on social media.
“Just as the language never stops evolving, the dictionary never stops expanding,” the nearly 200-year-old Springfield, Massachusetts-based company said on its website. "New terms and new uses for existing terms are the constant in a living language."
The dictionary company said the quick and informal nature of messaging, texting, and tweeting, which has only increased during the pandemic, has “contributed to a vocabulary newly rich in efficient and abbreviated expression.”
Among them: “TBH”, an abbreviation for “to be honest” and “FTW,” an abbreviation for “for the win.”
Merriam-Webster explains that FTW is used "especially to express approval or support. In social media, FTW is often used to acknowledge a clever or funny response to a question or meme.”
And it says “amirite” is a quick way to write “am I right,” as in, "English spelling is consistently inconsistent, amirite?”
The coronavirus pandemic also looms large in the collection of new entrants as “super-spreader,” “long COVID” and “vaccine passport” made the list.
Partisan politics contributed more slang to the lexicon, such as “whataboutism," which Merriam-Webster defines as “the act or practice of responding to an accusation of wrongdoing by claiming that an offense committed by another is similar or worse.” For Britons, the dictionary notes that “whataboutery” is more commonly used.
The dreaded “vote-a-ramas” that have become a fixture in the U.S. Congress is explained this way: “an unusually large number of debates and votes that happen in one day on a single piece of legislation to which an unlimited number of amendments can be introduced, debated, and voted on.”
And still, other new terms come from the culinary world, such as “fluffernutter,” the homey sandwich of peanut butter, marshmallow crème, and white bread.
Horchata, the cold, sweetened beverage made from ground rice or almonds and usually flavored with cinnamon or vanilla, also made the cut, as did chicharron, the popular fried pork belly or pigskin snack.
As for “dad bod”? The dictionary defines that as a “physique regarded as typical of an average father; especially: one that is slightly overweight and not extremely muscular.”
One NFL team says it is using data to help it win off the field. The Seattle Seahawks say they want to be a source of inspiration for other organizations that want to reap the rewards of a data-driven culture and aim to show the unlikely role data can play in professional sports operations. Seattle Seahawks Director of Business Strategy and Analytics Paimon Jaberi joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Aurora Cannabis CEO Miguel Martin joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the company's latest earnings results, how it will achieve positive EBITDA by 2023, and the state of the cannabis industry amid potential U.S. federal legalization.
Disney saw misses on both its top and bottom lines for its fourth quarter. The entertainment giant also fell just short of Wall Street expectations for new Disney+ subscribers. CFRA Research media and entertainment analyst Tuna Amobi joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to break down what this means for the future of Disney.
Disney+ miss on new subscribers in Q3 and the growing momentum for moviegoers returning to brick-and-mortar theaters has brought the streaming business into question. Seth Schachner, managing director at Strat Americas, joined Cheddar to discuss the state of streaming and the growing number of options consumers have. "Streaming is for sure here to stay and I think more robust than ever," he said. "The real thing that's happening, not just to Hollywood but to lots of verticals from music to sports, is just that there's tons and tons of consumer choice."
Peter Weber, author and star of ABC's The Bachelor, joined Cheddar to talk about his new children's book, "The Adventures of Pilot Pete," scheduled for release on Nov. 23. Weber, a real commercial pilot, said that while fellow Bachelor Nation contestants tend to write books following their experience on the small screen, one of the reasons he opted to write a children's book instead was the prospect of the longevity it could provide.
Dr. Wendy Osefo, Entrepreneur, Professor & Cast Member of Bravo's 'Real Housewives of Potomac', joins 'Your Future Home' to discuss her popular new Onyi Home Essentials line and how ideas of family and legacy helped shape it.
Chip Wade, Emmy Award-winning HGTV Host, joins 'Your Future Home' to break down all the ways you can avoid breaking the bank on energy costs this holiday season, especially when it comes to outfitting your home with smart tech.
On this episode of ChedHER: Founder and Designer of Peace Love World explains how she launched her lifestyle brand after a 17-year career in the aviation industry; CEO of Inclusivv discusses how to navigate challenging topics in the workplace and have conversations on race, mental health, and allyship; Author of 'Here I Stand' and Designer of Cult De Jour breaks down how she's supporting veterans through her fashion brand and the different ways that she's giving back to the community.
Tameka Raymond, Author of 'Here I Stand' and Designer of Cult De Jour, joins ChedHER to discuss how she's supporting veterans through her fashion brand and the different ways that she's giving back to the community.
