Roommates, the next time someone tries to say “y’all,” “yeet” or “zaddy” isn’t a word, go ahead and pull up Dictionary.com on them! The online source for everything words has reportedly added more than 300 words and updated definitions to their catalogue. According to CNN, this round of additions features terms related to “Covid-19 pandemic, race, technology and pop culture.”
John Kelly, who is the managing editor of the website, explained in a news release that changes in language are useful for helping people navigate the “complicated and challenging society we live in.” John also clarified that other times, language changes can be “just for fun.”
“Perhaps these lighter slang and pop culture newcomers to our dictionary reflect another important aspect of our time—a cautious optimism and a brighter mood about the future ahead after a trying 2020.”
Well, whoever is expanding their catalogue is definitely tapped into social and cultural conversations! Some additions like “oof,” “snack,” “y’all,” “zaddy,” and “yeet” are an ode to popular slang talk often seen across social media sites.
Dictionary.com defined “y’all” as you (used in direct address usually to two or more people, or to one person who represents a family, organization, etc.). Meanwhile “zaddy,” is defined as “an attractive man who is also stylish, charming, and self-confident.”
Categorized under race additions are words like “Aunt Jemima,” which is defined as a “disparaging and offensive” word meaning “a Black woman considered by other Black people to be subservient to or to curry favor with White people.” Additional words in that category include: “black code,” “cultural appropriation” and “one-drop rule.”
Dictionary.com has seemingly been moving into a space of representing language used during the unpredictable times of COVID-19, but also commonly in pop culture.
Other interesting and new additions include: “cultural appropriation,” “black code,” “5G,” “domestic terrorism” and “ghost gun.”
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