New Online Oxford Dictionary Word Additions – Phablet, Selfie, emoji, MOOC, BYOD, bitcoin & More…

It is quite interesting to see how mobile and internet lingo is influencing the Oxford dictionary. Majority of the word additions in this benchmark dictionary in recent times have been based on popular lingo that has evolved in chat rooms, on instant messaging platforms or social media.

Oxford Dictionaries Online in their quarterly update have now announced many new word additions, which again reiterates the growing popularity of online and mobile lingo.

Some of the new words added which relate to online and mobile world are:

• bitcoin : A digital currency in which transactions can be performed without the need for a central bank
• phablet : A smartphone having a screen which is intermediate in size between that of a typical smartphone and a tablet computer.
• selfie : A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.
• MOOC : A course of study made available over the Internet without charge to a very large number of people
• emoji : a small digital image or icon used to express an idea or emotion in electronic communication.
• Digital Detox : a period of time during which a person refrains from using electronic devices such as smartphones or computers, regarded as an opportunity to reduce stress or focus on social interaction in the physical world.
• Geek chic : the dress, appearance, and culture associated with computing and technology enthusiasts, regarded as stylish or fashionable.
• Hackerspace : a place in which people with an interest in computing or technology can gather to work on projects while sharing ideas, equipment, and knowledge.
• srsly : short for ‘seriously’.
• TL;DR : ‘too long didn’t read’: used as a dismissive response to a lengthy online post, or to introduce a summary of a lengthy post.

See the entire list of new words here.

Readers need to keep one important aspect in mind while looking at these word additions – These words have been added to Oxford Dictionaries Online and not the Oxford English Dictionary.

Though, ODO is part of Oxford english dictionary, it basically focuses on current English and includes modern meanings and uses of words. On the other hand, printed Oxford English Dictionary forms a record of all the core words and meanings in English over more than 1,000 years, from Old English to the present day, including many obsolete and historical terms.