The Cambridge Dictionary is adding over 6,000 new entries this year, as the English language rapidly evolves due to internet culture. According to lexical program manager Colin McIntosh, “Skibidi” – a nonsensical term coined by a YouTuber – is among the new slang terms being incorporated. Other planned additions include “tradwife,” referring to a stay-at-home mother, and “delulu,” meaning delusional. The dictionary is also recognizing new words spawned by the pandemic, like “mouse jiggler” – a device used to feign productivity during remote work. Concerns over climate change have also led to the addition of “forever chemical” – a persistent environmental pollutant. McIntosh says the Cambridge English Corpus, a 2-billion word database, is used to carefully monitor how new vocabulary is being across different contexts. “We only add words where we think they’ll have staying power,” he noted. (Newser)
PHONE TOPIC: Have you made up a word that your friends & family then started using?