You probably know what a “selfie” is, but what about “gamification”? Both words from the corners of technology and social media are among the 150 that Merriam-Webster said Monday it is adding to its collegiate dictionary.
Merriam-Webster announced Monday that it would add more than 150 words to its collegiate dictionary, and several of them come from the world of technology and social media. Among those included are “selfie,” “hashtag,” and “crowdfunding.”
“So many of these new words show the impact of online connectivity to our lives and livelihoods,” wrote Editor-at-Large Peter Sokolowski in a blog post on the company website.
Only a sample of the new words get posted to the website. A spokesperson said over email that the full list is not disclosed “for completive reasons.”
See some of the definitions of the new words below. Read More »
- big data (noun) : an accumulation of data that is too large and complex for processing by traditional database management tools
- catfish (noun) : a person who sets up a false personal profile on a social networking site for fraudulent or deceptive purposes
- crowdfunding (noun) : the practice of soliciting financial contributions from a large number of people especially from the online community
- gamification (noun) : the process of adding games or gamelike elements to something (as a task) so as to encourage participation
- hashtag (noun) : a word or phrase preceded by the symbol # that classifies or categorizes the accompanying text (such as a tweet)
- selfie (noun) : an image of oneself taken by oneself using a digital camera especially for posting on social networks
- tweep (noun) : a person who uses the Twitter online message service to send and receive tweets