Merriam-Webster\'s New List of Words
In 1806, 200 years ago, Noah Webster published his very first dictionary. \'A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language\' contained 37,000 entries, thousands of which were not listed in any other dictionary. In 1843, upon Webster\'s death, the Merriam brothers acquired the rights to Webster\'s dictionary.
Keeping with the spirit of Noah Webster and the Merriams, Merriam-Webster adds new words as it releases new editions. The company has just released nearly 100 new words that will appear in the fall in the best-selling \'Merriam-Webster\'s Collegiate® Dictionary, Eleventh Edition.\' If you haven\'t already, take our quiz and find out if you know eight of these new words and see nearly 30 new words below along with their definitions.
mouse potato (n) 1993: slang: a person who spends a great deal of time using a computer
ringtone (n) 1983: the sound made by a cell phone to signal an incoming call
spyware (n) 1994: software that is installed in a computer without the user\'s knowledge and transmits information about the user’s computer activities over the Internet
avian influenza (n) 1980: a highly variable mild to fulminant influenza of birds that is caused by strains of the influenza A virus which may mutate and be transmitted to other vertebrates -- called also bird flu
biodiesel (n) 1986: a fuel that is similar to diesel fuel and is derived from usu. vegetable sources (as soybean oil)
gastric bypass (n) 1972: a surgical bypass operation that involves reducing the size of the stomach and reconnecting the smaller stomach to bypass the first portion of the small intestine so as to restrict food intake and reduce caloric absorption in cases of severe obesity
soul patch (n) 1991: a small growth of beard under a man’s lower lip
supersize (vt) 1994: to increase considerably the size, amount, or extent of
labelmate (n) 1981: a singer or musician who records for the same company as another
wave pool (n) 1977: a large swimming pool equipped with a machine for making waves
drama queen (n) 1979: a person given to often excessively emotional performances or reactions
unibrow (n) 1988: a single continuous brow resulting from the growing together of eyebrows
manga (n) 1951: a Japanese comic book or graphic novel
qigong (n) 1974: an ancient Chinese healing art involving meditation, controlled breathing, and movement exercises
agritourism (n) 1979: the practice of touring agricultural areas to see farms and often to participate in farm activities
big-box (adj) 1990: of, relating to, or being a large chain store having a boxlike structure
aquascape (n) 1954: 1: a scenic view of a body of water 2: an area having a natural or constructed aquatic feature (as a pond or fountain)
coqui(n) 1903: a small chiefly nocturnal aboreal frog (Eleutherodactylus coqui) native to Puerto Rico that has a high-pitched call and has been introduced into Hawaii and southern Florida
polyamory (n) 1994: the state or practice of having more than one open romantic relationship at a time
sandwich generation (n) 1987: a generation of people who are caring for their aging parents while supporting their own children
bling-bling also bling (n) 1999: flashing jewelry worn esp. as an indication of wealth; broadly: expensive and ostentatious possessions
bodyboard (n) 1982: a short surfboard on which the rider lies prone
degenderize (vt) 1987: to eliminate any reference to a specific gender in (as a word, text, or act)
dreamscape (n) 1948: a dreamlike usu. surrealistic scene; also: a painting of a dreamscape empty suit (n) 1950: an ineffectual executive
google (vt) 2001: to use the Google search engine to obtain information about (as a person) on the World Wide Web
himbo (n) 1988: an attractive but vacuous man
text messaging (n) 1982: the sending of short text messages electronically esp. from one cell phone to another
:point: soul patch (n) 1991: a small growth of beard under a man?s lower lip
supersize (vt) 1994: to increase considerably the size, amount, or extent of
The Word of the Day for July 06 is
paronomasia \\pair-uh-noh-MAY-zhee-uh\\ noun
: a play on words : pun
Example sentence:
Humorists claim that Harry Truman offered the delightful paronomasia "Missouri loves company" when he invited a friend to join him in Independence, Missouri, for a home-cooked meal.
Did you know?
Puns (essentially, humorous uses of words to suggest more than one interpretation) have their share of critics as well as fans. English philosopher-poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, for example, called puns "the lowest form of wit." "Paronomasia," which derives from a Greek verb meaning "to call with a slight change of name," can simply be a synonym of "pun." But it can also be used, somewhat playfully, to suggest an uncontrollable urge to make puns (as if it were a dread disease, rather than harmless word play). For example, in the July 6, 1980 New York Times, William Safire announced, "an epidemic of paronomasia has raced around the world." And on January 1, 1989, Jerry Kobrin of The Orange County Register resolved to seek treatment "for a near-terminal case of paronomasia."
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
heres a new word for ya:
gaf. n any person who is being silly, stupid, annoying, generic, or any such attitude
taint. n. 1. the section of body between the genitalia (usually of a male) and anus. 2. any person who is being silly, stupid, annoying, generic, or any such attitude. 3. peaches626
cheddar - cheddary (n) your home, pad, or abode (adv) to get comfortable or relaxed
huay - huaysted (v) to puick (adj) puick drunk (not wasted, huaysted)
big-box (adj) 1990: of, relating to, or being a large chain store having a boxlike structure
something tells me its gonan be ellis ahhaa