156 new entries were accepted into the Open Dictionary in November, a considerable increase on October, which itself saw an increase on the previous month’s figure. Overall submissions were down, which is good news since it means that a higher proportion of the entries submitted met the criteria for publication.
Many of November’s words shed light on the way we live now. The digital world was represented by ad blocker, geoblocking and piquote, while media-related terms include nowcasting and newsbreak. Our preoccupation with putting people into pigeonholes according to their age was reflected in Generation K (named after Katniss Everdeen, heroine of The Hunger Games), screenager (someone who has grown up in the digital world) and hikikomori, a teenager with a more than usual antipathy towards social interaction. Wider social trends were reflected in entries such as black bloc, chemsex and LGBTQ, while domestic living arrangements featured in the shape of broken-plan living and Jack and Jill bathroom.
Food terms were less well represented than in previous months, but still we have added baozi, pelmeni and hoisin sauce to the word store. A couple of interesting and productive suffixes were added: -worthy, and -shaming.
My word of the month for November, however, is foodfie, a blend of food and selfie. We eat, and we record our lives on social media, so naturally we record what we eat on social media.
Thanks for all your submissions and do keep them coming. If there’s a word or expression that you think deserves inclusion in the Open Dictionary you can submit it here. Don’t forget to check first to make sure your word isn’t in our dictionary already.
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