Monday, July 07, 2008

New Words from Merriam-Webster!




The new 11th edition of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary is adding over 100 new words! Some of them are very familiar and you may wonder why it took that long for them to get in the dictionary. Others are brand new, at least to me. Apparently, the editors monitor "possible-inclusion" words over time and only the "keepers" actually make it into the newest edition. Here's some of their choices. A prize to the first person who can use all of these words in a sentence!!!


Wing nut---Webinar---Avatar---Barista---Frankenfood---Identity theft---Goth---NIMBY---Phat---Racino---Peloton---Comb-over---Shopaholic---Edamame---Air quotes---Infinity pool---Kiteboarding---Norovirus---Texas Hold 'em---Pescatarian---Prosecco

The word that tickled me was Mondegreen (origin 1964). A Mondegreen is a term for mistaken lyrics, e.g. thinking that the CCR song says "there's a bathroom on the right" instead of "there's a bad moon on the rise."! It comes from a mistaken interpretation of the lyrics of a Scottish ballad with the words "they had slain the Earl of Moray and laid him on the green." Someone heard instead: "they had slain the Earl of Moray and Lady Mondegreen" !!! I love it!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.