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Meet new English words: most recent additions to the dictionary


Do you know how many new words are added to the English language every year? Believe it or not, The Global Language Monitor estimated that the language that already contains a whopping 1,005,366 words grows by about 536 words a year. It's about two words a day! In 2020 alone the Merriam-Webster dictionary added over 535 words. Today we'll tell you about the latest and most curious additions.


Metaverse


When it comes to the IT industry, metaverse seems to be everywhere these days. But what is it exactly? The Merriam-Webster dictionary gives the following definition: "a persistent virtual environment that allows access to and interoperability of multiple individual virtual realities." In simpler terms, it's an enhanced online environment. For example, Microsoft's Mesh or Meta's Horizon Workrooms are metaverses because they allow people to connect, share spaces, and collaborate from anywhere in the world using avatars instead of showing one's real face.


Sponcon


"Sponcon" stands for any content posted by an influencer on social media that looks like a typical post but for which the poster has been paid. For example, it can be YouTubers who casually share that they like to wear a particular shoe brand during their trips.


ICYMI


This acronym stands for "in case you missed it." It's used on social media when posting something that isn't new, but one can also see this phrase in emails, texts, or messages.


Adorkable


This funny word means "socially awkward or quirky in a way that is endearing." It's often used to describe socially inept, shy, clumsy, or nerdy fictional characters who are also considered irresistible and cute by the audience.



You know this feeling: watching someone (for example, a fictional character) doing something that fills you with insupportable sense of second-hand embarrassment when you almost want to turn your face away or turn a TV off. Psychiatrist and media commentator Steve Ellen describes this emotion as something between "being embarrassed by something (usually some social behaviour), and by being disgusted by something (usually something we see and smell, like someone vomiting)". You get the idea.


Sus


Another fashionable slang word that simply stands for "suspicious." For example, "this influencer's post praising new Nike shoes looks kinda sus."


Yeet


Yeet is a new, more cool way to say "wow!". It's used to express surprise, approval, or excited enthusiasm. The verb "yeet" means to throw something, especially with force and without regard for the thing being thrown.



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