Merriam-Webster has added hundreds of words to the dictionary. Among them are a selection of technology terms most of us will be familiar with, even if we don’t use them on a daily basis. This article is totally bingeable and worthy of a retweet.
Our Language Is Evolving
All dictionaries have to move with the times, because language is forever evolving. Words come in and out of fashion, and even the way we talk changes over time. Which is why you’d struggle to understand someone speaking English 500 years ago.
In its latest update, Merriam-Webster has added 840 words to its dictionary. And some of them come from the technology sector. What follows are 10 of the tech terms Merriam-Webster thinks deserve a place in the dictionary…
Folks, it's that time again.
?? We just added more than 800 new words to the dictionary! ?? https://t.co/NiCeFa8EZ9
— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) September 4, 2018
Airplane Mode is the mode smartphones should be put in while you’re on a plane.
Bingeable refers to a TV show with episodes you can watch in quick succession.
Biohacking refers to biological experimentation on living organisms such as humans.
Fintech is a portmanteau of “financial” and “technology” and is self-explanatory.
Force Quit is what you do when you want to quit an app that has become unresponsive.
Haptics are elements of physical feedback such as resistance when pressing a key.
Instagramming is the act of being on Instagram. Which, just like Google, is now a verb.
Retweet comes from Twitter, and means to repost someone else’s tweet.
TL;DR which stand for Too Long; Didn’t Read, and means just that.
Unfollow is used on social networks to indicate you’ve stopped following someone.
Tech Terminology to Learn
You may not agree with the inclusion of some of these words, but that’s the beauty of language. For a word to deserve a place in the dictionary, it doesn’t need to be used by everyone every day, just a percentage of the population occasionally.
Either way, in our quest to help people understand technology, we have previously explained essential internet terms, basic encryption terms, common Instagram terms for beginners, essential terms for Photoshop beginners, and common gaming terms.
Image Credit: Chris Dlugosz/Flickr
Read the full article: 10 Tech Terms Added to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary
