New Words Added To 2014 Dictionary

Our world is ever evolving and changing. You have heard the statement, “There are only two things for certain in this life: death and taxes”. Well, I would like to add a third, crazy words being added to the dictionary.

Here are a few of the over 150 words added to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary this year.

• Auto-Tune: to adjust or alter (a recording of a voice) with Auto-Tune software or other audio-editing software esp. to correct sung notes that are out of tune

• dubstep: a type of electronic dance music having prominent bass lines and syncopated drum patterns

• baby bump: the enlarged abdomen of a pregnant woman

• catfish: a person who sets up a false personal profile on a social networking site for fraudulent or deceptive purposes

• crowdfunding: the practice of soliciting financial contributions from a large number of people esp. from the online community

• freegan: an activist who scavenges for free food (as in waste receptacles at stores and restaurants) as a means of reducing consumption of resources

• gamification: the process of adding game or gamelike elements to something (as a task) so as to encourage participation

• selfie: an image of oneself taken by oneself using a digital camera esp. for posting on social networks

• hashtag: a word or phrase preceded by the symbol # that clarifies or categorizes the accompanying text (such as a tweet)

• tweep: a person who uses the Twitter online message service to send and receive tweets

• unfriend: to remove (someone) from a list of designated friends on a person’s social networking website

(If you have never seen the Essurance commercial about “unfriending” please watch. IT IS AWESOME! – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ0yD-9CDwI)

• hot spot: a place where a wireless Internet connection is available

• spoiler alert: a reviewer’s warning that a plot spoiler is about to be revealed

• steampunk: science fiction dealing with 19th-century societies dominated by historical or imagined steam-powered technology

• fangirl: a girl or woman who is an extremely or overly enthusiastic fan of someone or something

So, how many of these words did you know?