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New words in the Merriam-Webster dictionary
By Associated Press
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Merriam-Webster Inc. has added more than 100 new entries to its new edition of the Collegiate Dictionary. Here are some, along with the year in which Merriam-Webster first found them used in an English-language publication:

-- Air quotes (1989): gesture made by raising and flexing the index and middle fingers of both hands, used to call at-tention to a spoken word or expression.

-- Dark energy (1998): hypothetical form of energy that produces a force that opposes gravity and is thought to cause the accelerating expansion of the universe.

-- Dirty bomb (1956): bomb designed to release radioactive material.

-- Dwarf planet (1993): celestial body that orbits the sun and has a spherical shape, but is too small to disturb other objects from its orbit.

-- Edamame (1951): immature green soybeans, usually in the pod.

-- Fanboy (1919): boy who is an enthusiastic devotee, such as of comics or movies.

-- Infinity pool (1992): outdoor swimming pool with an edge over which water flows into a trough, but seems to flow into the horizon.

-- Jukebox musical (1993): musical that features popular songs from the past.

-- Kiteboarding (1996): the sport of riding on a small surfboard propelled across water by a large kite, to which the rider is harnessed.

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

-- Mental health day (1971): day that an employee takes off from work to relieve stress or renew vitality.

-- Mondegreen (1954): word or phrase that results from a mishearing of something said or sung. From the mishear-ing in a Scottish ballad of “laid him on the green” as “Lady Mondegreen.”

-- Netroots (2003): grassroots political activists who communicate via the Internet, especially by blogs.

-- Norovirus (2002): any of a genus of small round single-stranded RNA viruses; specifically, Norwalk virus.

-- Pescatarian (1993): vegetarian whose diet includes fish.

-- Phytonutrient (1994): bioactive, plant-derived compound (as resveratrol) associated with positive health effects.

-- Pretexting (1992): presenting oneself as someone else to obtain private information.

-- Prosecco (1881): a dry Italian sparkling wine.

-- Racino (1995): racetrack at which slot machines are available for gamblers.

-- Soju (1978): a Korean vodka distilled from rice.

-- Subprime (1995) 1: having or being an interest rate that is higher than a prime rate and is extended especially to low-income borrowers; 2: extending or obtaining a subprime loan.

-- Supercross (1983): motorcycle race held in a stadium on a dirt track having hairpin turns and high jumps.

-- Texas Hold ‘em (1995): Poker in which each player is dealt two cards face down and all players share five cards dealt face-up.

-- Webinar (1998): live, online educational presentation during which participating viewers can submit questions and comments.

-- Wing nut (circa 1900): Slang: one who advocates extreme measures or changes; radical.

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Reader comments on this story - 7 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

BrettinBloomington wrote on Jul 7, 2008 3:43 PM:

" I agree with DT. Half of our country can't use the language already. Let alone people invent their own, usually started by the famous and totally useless. Next thing is texting language, which I can't use myself, nor do I want to, will probably be accepted as language soon enough as well. I already long for the days when people used actual language and communication. As far as the new generation with their texting, I can get my message across faster by calling you than to text you. When did we lose the ability to have a real conversation using real terms? "

bookerc wrote on Jul 7, 2008 10:15 AM:

" Gee, I was expecting to see "Googling" as a verb. Maybe next year. . . "

bookerc1 wrote on Jul 7, 2008 9:02 AM:

" Gee, I was expecting to see "Googling" as a verb. Maybe next year. . . "

CubFAN24 wrote on Jul 7, 2008 8:23 AM:

" What about "Bling Bling"? "

Rivers wrote on Jul 7, 2008 8:21 AM:

" Ah, now Robert 'Wingnut' Weaver makes waaaaay more sense as a knickname. However, I doubt he was dropping 'circa 1900'. "

WorkinTheOpinionBoard wrote on Jul 7, 2008 8:11 AM:

" How about "Kamping" or "Kampgrounds"..oh wait. Those are NEW spellings for old words....and ditto - DT "

DT wrote on Jul 7, 2008 7:16 AM:

" Why should we keep making up new words we can't even use the ones we have correctly? "
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