The Collegiate version of the Merriam-Webster dictionary moved into the 21st century of technology this week when they added the words “tweet” and “social media.”
The dictionary company is a little late to the game as the The Oxford English Dictionary had already added “tweet” and “retweet” along with “sext” while the Collins English Dictionary had already added “Twitter” as a verb and noun way back in 2009.
Inclusion in the country’s best-selling dictionary was no small feat, this year the company added 150 words, but only a handful are tech-related such as “crowdsourcing” and “m-commerce.”
Tweet and Social Media take their spot next to other newcomers including “bromance” and “cougar” which refers to middle-aged women who are looking for younger men.
In 2009 Merriam-Webster added their last terms, some of which were also web based including “vlog” and “Pdf.”
According to Mashable the terms were picked in an informal manner with M-W editor-at large Peter Sokolowski noting:
“It’s just a process of seeing a word used frequently and in many different sources.”
With major news outlets using those words and their inclusion in the Associate Press handbook it’s no surprise they were added to the dictionary, what is so surprising is how long it took.
Are their any social media based words you think should have been included with the new update?
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