(UNDATED) – Today more than 520 new words and meanings have been added to Merriam-Webster.com, the dictionary helping millions of people understand and use language better.
These new words and definitions offer a snapshot of how the language evolves, as they reflect back to us facts about our experiences and circumstances.
From newly and urgently prominent technical terms like convalescent plasma to playful terms like the @ in “don’t @ me,” these additions tell us something about who we are, and in many cases specifically about who we are at this moment in time.
“Language is a measure of culture, but also, in many ways, language can be a measure of time,” explains Peter Sokolowski, Editor at Large for Merriam-Webster. “The new words a language’s speakers choose to adopt are the words they need to express themselves and to explain their world. When…
