# New words popping up all over

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-words-popping-up-all-over/50152>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [January 15, 2001, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-words-popping-up-all-over/50152 "2001-01-15T15:32:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2001, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-words-popping-up-all-over/50152/1 "2001-01-15T15:32:22Z")

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I’m sure you’re familiar with this phenomenon. . . You read or hear a word that’s brand new to you–in however many decades you’ve been alive, you’re pretty darn sure that you’ve never been exposed to that word. You look it up in your dictionary, roll it over your tongue a few times, and prepare to use it in everyday conversation so that you sound all smart and cultured and obscure.

But then the word pops up _everywhere_. Isn’t that odd? It evaded your radar for all of your literate life, and now you can’t get away from it!

My latest experience with this was “empyrean.” It means the firmament, the celestial sphere. I first came across it in Oliver Sacks’ _Island of the Colorblind_. Then it popped up in the _very next_ book I read, _Two Moons_ by Thomas Mallon. And today it appeared on the A Word A Day mailing list!

Isn’t that odd!?

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**Author:** ![SpinneZiege](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9e8a1a/32.png) [@SpinneZiege](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpinneZiege)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2001, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-words-popping-up-all-over/50152/2 "2001-01-15T15:44:45Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Dude, he was totally mackin’ on yo’ honey, but you know he only wants some poonani! Too bad all he’s gonna gets is a snowball. Anyway, gotta bounce! See ya’ on tha flip side!

This about sums up the vocabulary of the local youth in my town. That and about [three hundred words for marijuana](http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/streetterms/ByType.asp?intTypeID=1)