owen@valleywag.com
New words for M-W's
M-W new dictionary words for 2008
malware, netroots, and webinar
There are to be 100 or so new words in the M-W 2008 Merriam-Webster's 2008 edition, due September 1. Here are 25 of them.
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate® Dictionary, Eleventh Edition
2008 Copyright
New Entries
1. air quotes n pl (1989) : a gesture made by raising and flexing the index and middle fingers of both hands that is used to call attention to a spoken word or expression
2. dark energy n (1998) : a hypothetical form of energy that produces a force that opposes gravity and is thought to be the cause of the accelerating expansion of the universe
3. dirty bomb n (1956) : a bomb designed to release radioactive material
4. dwarf planet n (1993) : a celestial body that orbits the sun and has a spherical shape but is too small to disturb other objects from its orbit
5. edamame n (1951) : immature green soybeans usu. in the pod
6. fanboy n (1919) : a boy who is an enthusiastic devotee (as of comics or movies)
7. infinity pool n (1992) : an outdoor swimming pool having an edge over which water flows into a trough but seems to flow into the horizon
8. jukebox musical n (1993) : a musical that features popular songs from the past
9. kiteboarding n (1996) : the sport of riding on a small surfboard that is propelled across water by a large kite to which the rider is harnessed
10. malware n (1990) : software designed to interfere with a computer’s normal functioning
11. mental health day n (1971) : a day that an employee takes off from work in order to relieve stress or renew vitality
12. mondegreen n [fr. the mishearing in a Scottish ballad of “laid him on the green” as “Lady Mondegreen”] (1954) : a word or phrase that results from a mishearing of something said or sung
13. netroots n pl (2003) : the grassroots political activists who communicate via the Internet esp. by blogs
14. norovirus n (2002) : any of a genus of small round single-stranded RNA viruses; specif: Norwalk Virus
15. pescatarian n (1993) : a vegetarian whose diet includes fish
16. phytonutrient n (1994) : a bioactive plant-derived compound (as resveratrol) associated with positive health effects
17. pretexting n (1992) : the practice of presenting oneself as someone else in order to obtain private information
18. prosecco n (1881) : a dry Italian sparkling wine
19. racino n (1995) : a racetrack at which slot machines are available for gamblers
20. soju n (1978) : Korean vodka distilled from rice
21. subprime adj (1995) 1: having or being an interest rate that is higher than a prime rate and is extended esp. to low-income borrowers 2: extending or obtaining a subprime loan
22. supercross n (1983) : a motorcycle race held in a stadium on a dirt track having hairpin turns and high jumps
23. Texas Hold ’em n (1995) : poker in which each player is dealt two cards facedown and all players share five cards dealt faceup
24. webinar n (1998) : a live online educational presentation during which participating viewers can submit questions and comments
25. wing nut n (ca. 1900) 3 slang : one who advocates extreme measures or changes : radical
No comments:
Post a Comment