The new beast word invented the year you were born

The extended origins of some of these words might surprise you.


Withnearly one million words Estimated to be in the English language, it may seem that there are no more terms to be invented. However, every year, Merriam-Webster adds new and noticeable words to their repertoire and shows no signs of slowing down. In 2019, the organization added nearly700 new words and definitions at his vast collection, part of whatstan andat the brand-You will recognize being popularized on places like Twitter and Reddit.

But how does a word getadded to the dictionary? Dictionary editors and lexicographers reviewed publications and websites with a widespread national readership to find new vocabularies that have become more common. From there, the words have entered a computer system like "quotes", but they are added to the dictionary only on new words if they are widely used with a clear definition.

Curious that term in fashion has been added to the dictionary when you were born? We returned to the archives to bring together the newly advantageous words added to Merriam-Webster every year since 1950.

1950: Gallon

woman laughing to herself, what do you call jokes
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No, we are not talking about an annoying person. While most people know the wordgallon In this sense, it has not been invented this way. Merriam-Webster added the word in 1950, but when they did it, it was with reference to a barbiture sleep pill.

1951: Oh damn

jealous husband
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The meaning ofOh damn is a little distorted over the years. When Merriam-Webster recognized the term in 1951, it was defined as an adjective marked in a conscious manner of self; Today, however, it is further used as an autonomous expression of modesty.

1952: Bafflegab

woman confused and thinking, weighing two choices, every day words
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If you are currently thinking of yourself than the wordbafflegab It looks like Gibberish, you are not far away. Merriam-Webster added the word in 1952 and it is used to describe "Jargon Wordy and generally unintelligible", other words, Gibberish.

1953: On the wall

confused older woman, every day words
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"Off-The-Wall" is the title of 1953 of Little Walterblues. By coincidence, the song came out the same year as Merriam-Webster added the term to its index. It isused to describe All that is very unusual.

1954: Rock and roll

rockers at rock concert
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The distinct terms "rock" and "roll" are around for centuries, but it was not until 1954 that Merriam-Webster added the complex termrock and rollin the dictionary to describe the popular amplified music of the time. The term, which can also be spelled rock 'n' roll, has been popularized byOhio Jockey Disk Alan released, who played first forms of rock and roll music.

1955: DIY

woman doing diy do it yourself crafts, new words coined
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Merriam-Webster added theacronym To "make yourself" in the dictionary in 1955. TheDIY The movement has been popularized in the first half of the 20th century via project guided magazines likePopular mechanicsandMechanix illustrated.

1956: Psychedelic

Hippie Van in the 1960s
Alamy

Years before the 60s and the 70s, the wordpsychedelic was officially recognized by Merriam-Webster in 1956. Although the term has been expanded to describe the vibrations of these decades, its origin refers to hallucinative drugs; It was proposed first byDr. Osmond Humphry,combined Greek wordspsyche (spirit) anddelos (Protester) To describe the experience of manifestation that drugs produce.

1957: Occur

woman thinking over the word plethora, every day words
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Wordoccur is usually used in the modern day to describe an excess of anything. However, when it was invented during the era of the cold war, it was used more specifically to describe the excess in terms of war, as in, "obliterate a target with more nuclear force than necessary".

1958: Rom-com

post-it that says i love you on mirror, better wife after 40
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It's hard to not loveCheesy Rom-ComsBut they were not known as such until 1958. Theshort-term term For "the romantic comedy" was created in a full time of the best of the best in the field of Rom-Coms.Roman holidays, anybody?

1959: Klutz

a klutz or clumsy person, new words coined
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Although the wordklutz is ofYiddish originsHe found himself in the English Merriam-Webster dictionary in 1959. Created as aClamp of argot of the 1950sIt's just a concise way to describe a clumsy person.

1960: Doofus

confused man, dumb man, new words coined
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You are not doofus if you do not know the origin behind this word - because there is no clear answer! According toMerriam Webster, the word that describes an insane person - has been added to the dictionary in 1960, but its origin has two possibilities: one being that it was a substitute for the informal wordgoofusand the other being it was a derivative of the Scottish worddoof, which also refers to a person perceived as stupid.

1961: Paparazzi

paparazzi standing in the corner, new words coined
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Although paparazzi members were working after stars likeElizabeth TaylorandCapriciousThroughout the 60s, the word has not been added to Merriam-Webster until 1961. The singular termpaparazzo first appeared inFederico Fellini's 1960 movieThe good lifeAs the name of a persistent photographer - and from there, it has been popularized as the name of celebrity photographers in a 1961Time Article entitled "Paparazzi on the extreme."

1962: Mini skirt

Miniskirt {Style Through the Years}
Wikimedia Commons / John Atherton

Fashionin the 1960s Was revolutionary: pastels were at a height of all time;Boots go did it big; And the hems become higher by the second. Appropriately, see then that the skirts have led mini in the 1960s, the wordmini skirt was born and added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 1962.

1963: Disco

couple roller skating cool grandparent photos
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Before he became known as the popularized music of the 70s, the worddisco was the shortcutmade ofnightclub, a French term for underground Parisian discos duringThe Second World War. The term worn in open clubs in the American during the 1960s, which led to the shortcutdisco Added to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary in 1963.

1964: Folk

Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash sit on stage together and perform in 1969, songs turning 50
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whatBob Dylan,Leonard Cohen, andWoody Guthrie All have in common? They are all folkys! American folk music culminated in the mid-1960s, which is how (and why) the termfolk-Referring to a folk singer - was invented and added to the dictionary during this period.

1965: Hippie

couple of girls hitch hiking, 1970s nostalgia
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Hippie, derived from the word hip (meaning fresh or up-to-date), waspopularized by journalists In the early 1960s as a means of labeling the new sub-culture of youth, which rejected the standards of the established company. It was adopted in the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 1965 and has since socially expanded to describe any person "unusually" dressed and inhabited in bristles.

1966: Groupy

giving the horns at a totally metal rock concert, dude
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Of our time,groupy Perticout describes any dedicated fan of a celebrity that travels as many of the public appearances of the star as possible. However, after being recognized in 1966, he specifically references tofemale fans From a rock band that followed them on the tour - most often in search of brief sex meetings.

1967: Supermodel

Twiggy Cover
Nast condole

Supermodel, At this point, it is essentially interchangeable with the termmodel. However, it only made reference to extremely successful and famous models, that is to say thesuperior. The term was used informally in the 1960s, but its popularization came when magazines started to refer toNoisy as a supermodel in 1967.

1968: Reggae

a reggae background with guitar and drum, new words coined
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The first onepopularized use the wordreggae was in the 1968 Toots and Maytals' single "do the reggay". Describing Jamaican style music,reggae was then recognized by Merriam-Webster in 1968 and especially in particular a public musicianBob Marley.

1969: Ew

guy looks disgusted
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While the wordew Became widely used in the 1980s with the development of the valley-girl speaks, his first appearance was at the end of the 60s. Used to express his disgust, the term was accepted by Merriam-Webster in 1969.

1970: Beginner

woman thinking over the word plethora, every day words
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Wordbeginner is an argot term synonymous with words likebeginner andnewcomer,And it is used to describe someone who recently launched a particular activity. While its etymology is unclear, it has been popularized by the United States Army in the 1960s and 1970s as a means ofDescribe new troops.

1971: Beatbox

beatbox machine, new words coined
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While the wordbeatbox has been transformed to describe a rhythm type sound of the mouth, it is native to an electronic device that mimics the instrumental beatings. The musical project was greatly used in the 1970s, in the back when the term was added to the Merriam-Webster pages.

1972: Wake up

Clenched fists raised high in protest for rights D3AHT7 Four clenched fists raised against blue sky
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If you are a warned Internet user in 2019, you know it's important to bewake upYou are someone who is aware of social problems, especially with regard to racial injustice. But althoughwake up is projected around today frequently, he was invented all the way back in 1972, back when he waspopular by the roomGarvey lives!

1973: Watergate

richard nixon with associates, new word origins
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Richard NixonThe water scandal of 1972 did not only leave a mark on its inheritance, but also on linguistics. The termWatergate-Added at Merriam-Webster in 1973 - is used to describe any scandal or cover manufactured by a person in power, most often with reference to thePresident.

1974: the Internet

old fashioned computer station - funniest jokes
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Although the internet like we know it, he came around 1990 through the help ofTHE WORLD WIDE WEB, theactual design arrived in the middle of the 20th century. Whenthe term Was added to Merriam-Webster in 1974, it was only referring to the hypothetical shared network between many separate computers.

1975: Decrease

photograph of people moving boxes to downsize,
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LoweringWas added to Merriam-Webster in 1975 to describe the reduction of something. The term has experienced some evolution over the years: in the 1970s, it has been used to describe automakers building smaller automobiles; In the 1980s, it was used to refer to companies to reduce their number of employees; and more recently, it is often used to refer to a couple who buys a smaller house after becomingVoids.

1976: Same

shocked woman looking at a phone against a light blue background, did you know facts
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Internet can be governed byeven In 2019, but did you know that the word was invented for the first time in 1976? Well before the days of the grumpy cat, the termsame has been used to describe any idea or article that prompts a person to a person in a culture.

1977: Cribble

two girls sharing a cringeworthy video with each other
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We all endured our fair share ofcribbleAn embarrassing things, especially in the era of the internet wherenothing disappears. But what was very crunchy when the term was invented in 1977? May beJohn TravoltaDanceSaturday evening fever?

1978: Eye candies

Girl Smiling at Stranger
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The termblundercame to the end of the 1970s to describe something or someone who was attractive to watch. When he was invented by Merriam-Webster, he followed the phrase of popular companybonbon, which is precisely the sentence we would use to describeBruce Springsteen'salbumDARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN from the same year.

1979: hip-hop

hip hop artist in the dark, representing the music's effect on cheese
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Hip hop music foundIt begins In 1973, but the term used to describe it was added to Merriam-Webster until 1979. And while they originally described that stylized rhythmic music that accompanied rap at the time, It has expanded to also describe the culture surrounding gender.

1980: Five Top

high five co-workers
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While the origin of this gesture of the hand has many theories, the best known is the best known that it started in the world of sport. WhenLamont Dedouanesbeginslap his hand Celebrating with its murray teammates in the late 70s, theHigh five became laterthe The gesture of the world of sports and Merriam-Webster then added the term to the dictionary in 1980.

1981: Discussion of garbage

two men trash talking each other, new words coined
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The termTrash Talk also seems to have been from the world of sports. Describing the railloir comments made between the opponents in the hope of intimidation,Trash Talk has been added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 1981 after its extension byMuhammad Ali.

1982: E-mail

Email Inbox {New Words}
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Short for email,E-mailrefers to the method of exchange of messages electronically. The act of sending messages has become electronicallywidely used at MIT In the 60s, Merriam-Webster did not add the word to the dictionary until 1982.

1983: Yeah

american customs offensive in other countries
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Yeah. Yeah. Yes. They are all just different versions of an expression of agreement, butYeah has not been added to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary until 1983.

1984: Lunar walk

michael jackson cool 1980s style
Vicki L. Miller / Shutterstock

Michael Jackson has taken the world by the storm when he presented his signature dance move in 1983. The dance on the back was calledmoonwalkingAnd Merriam-Webster added the term to the dictionary the following year.

1985: Anime

anime tv show, pokemon, new words coined
IMDB / 4 Children Entômes

Recognized by Merriam-Webster in 1985,animate is a term used to describe a specific animation style animation that has increasedPopularity in the 70s. This animation style presents animated graphics and colors, so it is logical that its name derives from the French word forliving.

1986: Mcjob

mcdonalds employee handing food at drive-thru, new words coined
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Mcjobwascontroversial Added to Merriam-Webster in 1986 to describe a low-paying work requiring little skills and that few opportunities for advancement - that is to say a job at McDonald's, where the term came from the term. While the word was popular in the 80s, its use has since decreased; According to Merriam-Webster, it is in the bottom of 30% of the words used today.

1987: Emoticon

woman on phone, reach a customer service rep
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Back before there'semojis Available at the reach of our fingers, people used to seize their facial expressions using different keyboard characters - it was so much work (insert Emoji Eye rolling)! These characters have been calledemoticons, a term that Merriam-Webster recognized in 1987.

1988: Emo

paramore performing in concert, new words coined
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Most of the children in the 2000s can testify to the "EMO phase", caused by popular groups like resume Sunday and parane. However, the wordemo Was added to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary in 1988 to describe an introspective shape of rock music.

1989: Grumpy

a pile of green, yellow, pink, orange, and multicolored scrunchies
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The scrolls werethe Hair accessory of the 80s and 90s, and they even haveredeveloped in popularity in recent years. The word has been added to the dictionary in 1989 after being patented a few years beforeRommy revson, whonamed the creation After his dog Scurci.

1990: Lap

using an OOO message can fight spam email
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No, we are not talking about food. When the termlap Was recognized by Merriam-Webster in 1990, it was made to describe unsolicited messages sent to a large number of recipients. Since then, the name itself has been transformed into a verb intended to describe the deed of sending, well, spam.

1991: Mixtake

cassette mixtape, 1980s nostalgia
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Whilemixtakes werecommonplace In the 1970s, the word was not officially recognized by Merriam-Webster until 1991 and, at that time, mixtapes were carried out on CDs and notreal bands! The term is used to describe any compilation of songs recorded from various sources.

1992: Buzzkill

woman annoyed at a buzzkill, new words coined
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Of our time,buzzkill refers to everything that arouses a depressing or negative mood. However, as described in aNew York Times Article from 1993, the word was specifically used in the 90s to refer to something or a person who killed a buzz in terms of drugs or alcohol - like a cop that breaks a party.

1993: Website

Couple, computer
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With the rise of the internet, the rise of the specific terminology has also arrived.Tim Berners-Lee. The invention of the World Wide Web in 1990 has led to the need for new technological vocabies, and so the wordwebsite was born and added to Merriam-Webster in 1993.

1994: Dot-com

ULTA cosmetics website
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Another internet term,dot-com Was added to Merriam-Webster in 1994. Phonetically describe the typical end of most URLs, it was invented as a name for any marketing business of their products or online services via a website.

1995: Defamation

save money on clothes
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A decade before the birth of YouTube, the termdefamation has been added to Merriam-Webster to describe any "transmission of sound and images via the World Wide Web". One of the first web defamations was theMacintosh New York Music Festival In 1995, during which Manhattan Clubs transmitted from live music to computer screens around the world.

1996: Palm

woman exasperated with impolite people
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Covering your face with one hand to express embarrassment or consternation has been officially calledeyelid Since Merriam-Webster has added it to the dictionary in 1996. The action has become popularized in recent yearsthroughbut he was even present in the previous years as being obvious byHenri Vidal 1896 statue "Cain".

1997: Emoji

woman sending heart emojis via text, etiquette mistakes
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Current emoticons that come with just the button of a button are calledemojis. The term has been added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 1997 after theThe first emojis were created in Japan. And for more emojis, check the25 secret species of these popular emojis.

1998: Harassment

girls cyberbullying a classmate, new words coined
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The rise ofsocial media unfortunately brought the rise of the rise ofHarassment-The act of displaying bad messages about someone electronically. Since the word has been added to the dictionary in 1998,Harassmentbrought a series of bills and anti-intimidation campaigns.

1999: Blog

thoughtful woman on computer, stay at home mom
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Blog was recognized in 1999 as a shortened form of Weblog, intended to describe any website containing personal reflections or the comments of a writer. One of the first blogging pioneers wasJustin Hall, who started documentinghis life online In 1994.

2000: Google

happy woman at computer
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Although the massive search engine was founded in 1998,the verb To search for something on Google, which has become synonymous with search on something line - has been added only in Merriam-Webster at the turn of the century. Do not believe us? Google that for you! And for more information on the search giant, see these20 tips from Google Secrets that will absolutely change your life.

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Categories: Culture
Tags: history / Language / Slang
By: alberto
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