# 100 new words added to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary in 2009 **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 10, 2009, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-new-words-added-to-merriam-websters-dictionary-in-2009/502517 "2009-07-10T01:19:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-new-words-added-to-merriam-websters-dictionary-in-2009/502517/1 "2009-07-10T01:19:08Z")
Here’s a list of 25 from [m-w.com](http://www.merriam-webster.com/info/newwords09.htm). How many can do you know the meaning of? 1. acai 2. carbon footprint 3. cardioprotective 4. earmark 5. fan fiction 6. flash mob 7. frenemy 8. goji 9. green-collar 10. haram 11. locavore 12. memory foam 13. missalette 14. naproxen 15. neuroprotective 16. pharmacogenetics 17. physiatry 18. reggaeton 19. shawarma 20. sock puppet 21. staycation 22. vlog 23. waterboarding 24. webisode 25. zip line I can recite a near-dictionary definition for 9 of these, and I know what an additional 5 are in general terms (I know that acai is a kind of…) As for the remaining 11, I have no idea. I could take a stab at a few - I think I now what “locavore” is supposed to be (and it’s stupid). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-new-words-added-to-merriam-websters-dictionary-in-2009/502517/2 "2009-07-10T01:34:12Z")
I am shocked some of those words aren’t already in M-W. “Earmark” just made it in? “Missalette” (growing up Catholic, we had missalettes at church since as far back as I can remember, which would be late 70s/early 80s.) “Shawarma”? The only words I’m unsure about are “goji” (is that the same as “koji”? used to make soy sauce?) and “physiatry.” I’ve never heard the terms “cardioprotective” and “neuroprotective” but I assume they’re self-explanatory. A “locavore” is someone who tries to eat predominantly locally grown/produced food. Overall, it’s a good idea and I support the general principle, but it’s a stupid word. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-new-words-added-to-merriam-websters-dictionary-in-2009/502517/3 "2009-07-10T05:12:03Z")
This confirms that Merriam-Webster will never be my dictionary of choice. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-new-words-added-to-merriam-websters-dictionary-in-2009/502517/4 "2009-07-10T05:30:54Z")
This is the year they let spammers choose the words. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-new-words-added-to-merriam-websters-dictionary-in-2009/502517/5 "2009-07-10T05:39:41Z")
“Staycation” makes me all stabby. OK, you had a week off from work and you didn’t go anywhere. What the hell do you need a special cutesy word for that for? You know what people called that when I was a kid? “Vacation.” Lounging around. Gettin’ some yard work done. Reading some books. Go bowling or golfing maybe. Y’know, nothing special. Or, you might go on a trip, who knows! “Staycation” offers all the excitement of lounging at home with no dispensation for an actual trip. “Don’t pack your bags kids, we’re ‘going’ on a staycation!” “Yaay, let’s play Monopoly!” ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-new-words-added-to-merriam-websters-dictionary-in-2009/502517/6 "2009-07-10T06:15:49Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > This confirms that Merriam-Webster will never be my dictionary of choice. Indeed. “Frenemy”? Way to be a less current version of [urbandictionary.com](http://urbandictionary.com), Merriam-Webster. Though as [cracked.com](http://cracked.com) pointed out [back in May](http://www.cracked.com/article_17408_15-words-you-wont-believe-they-added-dictionary.html), the OED isn’t without sin, either. ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-new-words-added-to-merriam-websters-dictionary-in-2009/502517/7 "2009-07-10T06:30:36Z")
Mmm, shawarma… ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-new-words-added-to-merriam-websters-dictionary-in-2009/502517/8 "2009-07-10T06:46:08Z")
I don’t know what 08, 10, 13, 14, 17, 19, or 22 mean. 10, 14 and 17 look like mispellings of real words. Reggaeton is really just making the list now? I even know the names of some reggaeton artists, like Daddy Yankee and Wisin & Yandel, though it’s _not_ my kind of music. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-new-words-added-to-merriam-websters-dictionary-in-2009/502517/9 "2009-07-10T08:19:47Z")
OK, so what is a zip-line? The sealing device on a baggie? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-new-words-added-to-merriam-websters-dictionary-in-2009/502517/10 "2009-07-10T08:37:48Z")
One day: **cromulent**. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-new-words-added-to-merriam-websters-dictionary-in-2009/502517/11 "2009-07-10T09:31:24Z")
The fact that _dictionary makers_ still use the word “words” to describe two-word phrases makes me weep for humanity. How many hundreds of years did “sock puppets” exist before it became a word? Come on. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-new-words-added-to-merriam-websters-dictionary-in-2009/502517/12 "2009-07-10T12:06:03Z")
I’m not familiar with goji, haram, physiatry or missalettes. I thought I knew haram, but then realized I was thinking of halal - and it looks like they are opposites. > [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > How many hundreds of years did “sock puppets” exist before it became a word? Come on. Well, when were socks invented? 😉 The puppet meaning has been around for a long time, but they probably added it because of the increased popularity of the online definition, which was coined in the '90s. [The first known usage was 16 years ago yesterday, in fact.](http://groups.google.com/group/bit.listserv.fnord-l/msg/d1b51c9c2d96469f) Agreed with **Jenaroph** about staycation. I’m not fond of “green collar” either. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-new-words-added-to-merriam-websters-dictionary-in-2009/502517/13 "2009-07-10T13:15:29Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > [The first known usage was 16 years ago yesterday, in fact.](http://groups.google.com/group/bit.listserv.fnord-l/msg/d1b51c9c2d96469f) By a drug-addled lunatic, no less. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-new-words-added-to-merriam-websters-dictionary-in-2009/502517/14 "2009-07-10T13:20:51Z")
> [@Ace309](#): > > Mmm, shawarma… Drools… ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-new-words-added-to-merriam-websters-dictionary-in-2009/502517/15 "2009-07-10T13:43:15Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > OK, so what is a zip-line? The sealing device on a baggie? A pulley descending on a wire with somebody hanging on/tied under it, like you see on assault courses, and children’s playgrounds. It’s a really common word in the UK now (and I always presumed it was an Americanism—we always called them “pulleys” when I was small). ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-new-words-added-to-merriam-websters-dictionary-in-2009/502517/16 "2009-07-10T14:21:32Z")
Pharmacogenetics? Seriously? That’s not a new word, it’s been around for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-new-words-added-to-merriam-websters-dictionary-in-2009/502517/17 "2009-07-10T14:24:52Z")
And Islam has been around for 1,430 years, so presumably the idea of haraam has been around for about that long. They’re just new to this dictionary. The idea that these words, or words just added to the OED, are “new words” is just intended to sell dictionaries or justify press coverage. ---
**Author:** ![Casserole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b77776/32.png) [@Casserole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casserole)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-new-words-added-to-merriam-websters-dictionary-in-2009/502517/18 "2009-07-10T14:32:02Z")
I stopped thinking of Merriam-Webster as a legitimate source of vocabulary when they decided to pick [w00t as their word of the year](http://www.merriam-webster.com/info/07words.htm). In their defence, it was viewer-picked, but the fact that they’re considering its inclusion in an official edition? Cemented. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-new-words-added-to-merriam-websters-dictionary-in-2009/502517/19 "2009-07-10T14:32:11Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Well, when were socks invented? 😉 The puppet meaning has been around for a long time, but they probably added it because of the increased popularity of the online definition, which was coined in the '90s. [The first known usage was 16 years ago yesterday, in fact.](http://groups.google.com/group/bit.listserv.fnord-l/msg/d1b51c9c2d96469f) I have never heard the online definition anywhere but here. I always thought it was an SDMB thing. Personally, I always thought “sock puppet” sounded really stupid as a description of someone who was using a second account. But I do have to say, for as stupid as staycation sounds, the man who coined it (Brent Butt) is awesome and deservers any further fame. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-new-words-added-to-merriam-websters-dictionary-in-2009/502517/20 "2009-07-10T14:43:02Z")
The words given in that list are sometimes being added in the new senses that they have developed recently. “Earmark” is an old word, but it has a new sense in the discussion of bills in the U.S. Congress. Similarly, “sock puppet” is an old word, but it has a new sense in its use in message boards (like the SDMB, in fact). Others are words that have existed in other languages for a long time which have just become current in English, like “haram” (Note: not “harem,” which has been in English for a long time) and “goji.” And, for what it’s worth, the dictionary makers don’t remotely care if you don’t like a word. If it’s being used enough, it gets in the dictionary, regardless of what you feel about it. Incidentally, why are people asking what some of the words mean? All you have to do is click on the link and then click on the word. The definitions are given right there. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-new-words-added-to-merriam-websters-dictionary-in-2009/502517.md?page=2)