Buzz
A term doesn’t require a centuries-old background or a prestigious Latin origin to be included in the Oxford English Dictionary. It simply needs sufficient time and widespread usage for lexicographers to acknowledge it as a legitimate part of the English language, whether it’s slang or not.
This month, close to 700 new words earned their place. Some are entirely new additions—such as CODA, which refers to “an individual with one or more deaf or hard-of-hearing parents or guardians.” Initially an acronym for Children of Deaf Adults, a group established in 1983, its usage expanded over time, gaining traction partly due to the 2022 Oscar-winning film, CODA.
However, not all the “new” terms are contemporary. Aestel, for instance, first appeared in King Alfred’s introduction to his 9th-century translation of Pastoral Care, a work by Pope Gregory I from the 6th century. While its exact meaning remains uncertain, it is “often interpreted as a pointer or handle for a pointer, used to track one’s place while reading a manuscript,” according to the OED.
Several terms have been integrated under existing entries. For instance, air fryer is now listed among numerous phrases on the air page, while tailgate has expanded to include a dedicated section for tailgate party. Similarly, final now features an entry for final girl, a term familiar to horror enthusiasts, referring to the archetypal female character—often intelligent and morally upright—who survives longer than anyone else in a horror film.
Explore some of the other new entries below, and find additional details about the update here.
