If you had to name several things that change quickly. For example, a system open to new elements, but doesn’t get rid of the old ones. What would you mention? Would you include language?
What is a system? And would you consider a language to a system?
A system is a collection of elements or components organized for a common purpose. A dictionary gives the following definition to the word “system”: a regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a unified whole.
We would say the language is a system because its elements are in constant interaction. The old ones may require newer meanings, the new words appear.
Language is the best example of a tool (let’s say so) which holds the results of changes in society, its tendencies, and innovations.
There is a wonderful contradictory riddle: is the language shaping reality or is it the reality that influences the language?
We will not solve this linguistic puzzle, but we want to share some of the latest words that have entered the reality and the language recently.
If you don’t spend most of your time on the internet, it might be hard to keep up with the evolving lingo of the digital age.
Readers fluent in internet-speak will be familiar with many of the entries on the list, and there are also plenty of new words specific to the tech world.
So, here we have included words in common use and those that reflect today’s reality.
1. Bougie (adj.)
Short for the bourgeois, this term means “Marked by a concern for wealth, possessions, and respectability.”
2. TL; DR (abbrev.)
“Too long; didn’t read. It means something would require too much time to read.”
3. Bingeable (adj.)
“Having multiple episodes or parts that people can watch in rapid succession.”
4. Predictive (adj.)
As in predictive text: “Of, relating to, or usable or valuable for prediction.”
5. Haptics (n.)
Using electronically or mechanically generated a movement that a user experiences through the sense of touch as part of an interface (such as on a gaming console or smartphone).
6. Force quit (v)
“To force (an unresponsive computer program) to shut down (as by using a series of preset keystrokes).”
7. Airplane mode (n.)
“An operating mode for an electronic device (such as a mobile phone) in which the device does not connect to wireless networks and cannot send or receive communications (such as calls or text messages) or access the Internet but remains usable for other functions.”
8. Instagram (v)
“To post (a picture) to the Instagram photo-sharing service.”
9. Biohacking (n.)
“Biological experimentation (as by gene editing or the use of drugs or implants) done to improve the qualities or capabilities of living organisms especially by individuals and groups outside of a traditional medical or scientific research environment.”
10. Fintech (n.)
“Products and companies that use newly developed digital and online technologies in the banking and financial services industries.”
11. Marg (n.)
A margarita. According to Merriam-Webster, the first known usage occurred in 1990.
12. Fave (n.)
Favorite. This word is older than it looks: It dates back to 1938. (“Lester Harding, heavy fave here, clicks with pop songs,” was the first usage, according to the Oxford English Dictionary.)
13. Adorbs (adj.)
“Charming or appealing: adorable.”
14. Rando (n.)
According to Merriam-Webster, this “often disparaging,” slang means “A random person: a person who is unfamiliar or recognizable or whose appearance (as in a conversation or narrative) seems unprompted or unwelcome.”
15. Bats (n)
Unlike the animal, which Merriam-Webster defines in the singular form, bat with an “s” is a synonym of batty—as in mentally unstable or unhinged.
16. Iftar (n.)
“A meal popular among Muslims at sundown to break the daily fast during Ramadan.”
17. Phooey (n)
This interjection used to “express repudiation or disgust,” has probably been in use before your grandpa was born. Some other fun synonyms include faugh, phew, yech, and rats.
18. Mise en place (n.)
“A culinary process in which cook prepares and organizes the ingredients (as in a restaurant kitchen) before cooking.”
19. Hophead (n.)
Originally a slang word for a drug addict dating back to 1883, this word these days means “A beer enthusiast.”
20. Zoodle (n.)
“A long, thin strip of zucchini that resembles a string or narrow ribbon of pasta.”
21. Hangry (adj.)
“Irritable or angry because of hunger.” People have been hangry (or at least using the word) since 1956.
22. Mocktail (n.)
“A usually iced drink made with any of various ingredients (such as juice, herbs, and soda water) but without alcohol: a non-alcoholic cocktail.”
23. Latinx (adj.)
“Of, relating to, or marked by Latin America heritage—used as a gender-neutral alternative to Latino or Latina.”
24. Generation Z (n.)
The generation of people born in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
25. Tent city (n.)
“A collection of many tents set up in an area to provide usually temporary shelter (as for displaced or homeless people).”
26. Askhole (n)
Someone who asks many stupid, pointless, or obnoxious questions.
27. Bedgasm (n)
A feeling of euphoria experienced when climbing into bed at the end of a very long day.
28. Textpectation (n)
The anticipation felt when waiting for a response to a text.
29. Cellfish (n)
An individual who continues talking on their phone so as to be rude or inconsiderate of other people.
30. Destinesia (n)
When you get to go where you were intending to go, but forget why you were there in the first place.
31. Errorist (n)
Someone who repeatedly makes mistakes, or always wrong.
32. Nonversation (n)
A completely worthless conversation, small talk.
33. Autophile (n)
A person who loves solitude, being alone.
34. Hugge (n)
A deep sense of place, warmth, friendship, and contentment.
35. Youniverse (n)
Used to indicate that a person has knowledge only of him or herself; their universe consists only of them.
The language doesn’t take a vacation, and neither does the dictionary. The words we use are constantly changing in big ways and small, and we’re here to record those changes. Each word has taken its own path in its own time to become part of our language. The future prepares a lot of language changeovers.