New words
In
June of 2015 our friends at the Oxford English Dictionary updated the OED. “New”
words can appear to come out of left field. They
can also be remarkable because they don’t seem to be new at all, or for myriad
other reasons. Though many words on the “new” list are worthy of comment, the
following words caught my eye.
There
are two different types of backronyms. The first sort is a word which is not an acronym, but is believed to be one. The
story has been told that the word cop stands for constable on patrol, but this is not the word’s origin. The second type of backronym is a purposefully constructed acronym. The
condition of sneezing upon seeing a sudden bright light has been creatively
labeled autosomal dominant compelling helio-opthalmic
outburst,
or ACHOO.
The
word cisgender
(in opposition to transgender) refers to a
person who identifies or experiences the same gender that society associates
with that person.
To
declutter
is to remove clutter.
A decorated thermal insulation jacket
for cans or bottles is called a
koozie.
The word meh is an interjection used to communicate a lack of enthusiasm.
SCOTUS is an acronym referring to the Supreme Court of
the
United
States.
What I find most intriguing about this addition is the lack of its sibling
acronyms POTUS, President of the United States & FLOTUS First Lady of the
United States.
A
stagette
party is the party held for the bride.
A
yaar
is a friend, buddy, or pal.
Good
readers, which of these seem worthy of comment to you?
I had never heard the theory that "cop" stands for constable on patrol. But that sounds so right. And it turns out it isn't? Maybe in another column you can tell us what its origin really is.
ReplyDeleteSome of the new words are ones l use all the time, like "meh" and "declutter" and we see those SCOTUS words all over the headlines (they must be a great boon to headline writers.). But I had not heard of koozies, stagette parties or yaars!
I learn something from you every week, Mr. Monger!
Dearest Miss Allen,
ReplyDeleteYou're a fine yaar. Thanks for popping by again, It occurred to me that I might go into the full etymologies of the words mentioned, but it would've taken me over my wordcount target by a longshot. There's always a next week, though.