Expressing yourself just got easier, because Merriam-Webster has added 1,000 new words to the dictionary. It’s time for a new edition. You can read the complete list here.
“This is a significant addition of words to our dictionary, and it reflects both the breadth of English vocabulary and the speed with which that vocabulary changes,” Lisa Schneider, chief digital officer and publisher at Merriam-Webster, says in a news release.
By the time Merriam-Webster adds them, the words are already in general use. This official acknowledgement just means that the words are here to stay, and that we can look them up when we need to.
Eat Your Words
Our interest is in the food words. Newly added are ingredients like acai, elderflower, EVOO, and coconut milk. The food truck has finally arrived, and coming along for the ride are arancini and chicken of the woods. And the adjective artisanal, which we have been using for years, has been updated to include food items made in limited quantities. The macaron, that light-as-air French cookie, made the cut (as did chef’s knife).
How many of these words are you using in conversation? Here is the complete list of food-related words just added to Merriam-Webster:
- acai
- Alfredo sauce
- American chop suey
- arancini
- artisanal
- calamondin
- chef’s knife
- chicken mushroom
- chicken of the woods
- circus peanut
- coconut milk
- coconut water
- d’Anjou
- elderflower
- EVOO
- farro
- flatbread
- food secure
- food insecure
- food truck
- immersion circulator
- macaron
- Minneola tangelo
- noni
- olericulture
- red bliss
- santoku
- secret sauce
- Shirley Temple
- strata
Tell us what you think of these new additions to the lexicon. Which of these words are you already using? Talk to us here, or find us on social media – tag @dartagnanfoods on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to get the conversation started.