Internet words ‘bloggable’ and ’scareware’ enter Oxford Dictionary
February 24th, 2011 - 1:20 pm ICT by ANILondon, Feb 24 (ANI): A slew of new words, including ‘bloggable’ and ’scareware’, have been added to the Oxford Dictionaries for the first time, thanks to the Internet.
Experts from Oxford Dictionaries Online said the web’s influence on the English language was increasing.
New entries include the words “scareware”, which means malicious computer programmes, “trackpad” (touchpad) and “buttload” (a large amount).
Other new words or phrases in the past nine months include “bloggable”, defined as a suitable topic for blogging, and an “onliner” (an internet user).
More commonly used Internet words,”cyberbullying” and “cybersecurity”, also appear for the first time.
The sinister practice of “clickjacking” (manipulating a user’s activity by concealing hyperlinks) is another net-based newcomer.
Oxford Dictionaries also recognised hundreds of other new words and phrases created by mobile phone texting.
These include “sexting” (sending explicit images or messages), “tbh” (to be honest), “feature phone” (a mobile phone with extra features) and “fnarr fnarr” (sniggering in textspeak).
New entries unrelated to the worlds of the internet or texting include “tanorexia” (an obsessive desire to get a tan), “jazz hands” (a gesture with hands waved to express excitement) and “trolleyed” (extremely drunk).
The new entries also include words that seem to have been present in the language for a while - including “gastric band” (a device for the surgical treatment of obesity), “rumour mill” (the process by which rumours are originated and circulated) and “light-bulb moment” (a moment of sudden realisation).
“The rapid development of technology creates multiple new products, services, and functionalities, which all need new terms to describe them,” the Telegraph quoted Gabby Fletcher, a spokeswoman for Oxford Dictionaries Online, as saying.
“We are also seeing the very fast circulation of new vocabulary on a global basis, with the expansion of social media,” the spokeswoman added. (ANI)
- Graphic symbol for love is first to be added to Oxford English Dictionary - Mar 25, 2011
- O.M.G., it's almost 100 years old! - Aug 07, 2012
- Now an iPhone app that translates languages - Jul 15, 2012
- Sexting is official, you may retweet it - Aug 18, 2011
- Chinese slangs find way into Oxford dictionary - Sep 22, 2010
- 'Moving forward' tops list of 2010's most annoying phrases - Dec 23, 2010
- Vuvuzela, chill pill, bromance enter Oxford Dictionary of English - Aug 19, 2010
- Amazing iPhone application instantly translates words - Dec 19, 2010
- Palin's 'refudiate' named word of the year - Nov 16, 2010
- 10 jailed for pirating dictionaries - Jan 05, 2011
- Arsworm, Bumfodder, Farting-crackers - 17th century slang from London - Aug 12, 2010
- Now, iPhone app that instantly translates words as you watch - Dec 18, 2010
- New iPhone app will help older generation translate teenagers' slang - Mar 27, 2011
- Now, a robot that can read and learn like a human! - Dec 07, 2010
- Bilingual dictionaries to promote India's mother tongues - Mar 12, 2012
Tags: explicit images, feature phone, functionalities, global basis, internet experts, internet user, internet words, london feb, malicious computer, new entries, obsessive desire, onliner, oxford dictionaries, oxford dictionary, rapid development, sniggering, suitable topic, surgical treatment of obesity, time thanks, treatment of obesity