New words for 2008

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition, is to have about 100 new entries. Here are some that I found of particular interest.

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. malware n (1990) : software designed to interfere with a computer’s normal functioning

7. mental health day n (1971) : a day that an employee takes off from work in order to relieve stress or renew vitality

8. netroots n pl (2003) : the grassroots political activists who communicate via the Internet esp. by blogs

9. norovirus n (2002) : any of a genus of small round single-stranded RNA viruses; specif: Norwalk Virus

10. phytonutrient n (1994) : a bioactive plant-derived compound (as resveratrol) associated with positive health effects

11. 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

12. webinar n (1998) : a live online educational presentation during which participating viewers can submit questions and comments

According to the Merriam-Webster web site, all new dictionary entries are now available online, and the 2008 print update of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition, is to be available in bookstores September 1, 2008. Both feature new words and phrases that M-W determined have successfully become part of the mainstream English language through prolonged and widespread usage in a variety of publications.