Oxford English Dictionary welcomes 'woot, sexting, and retweet'

by Steven Mostyn - Aug 19 2011, 08:54

Ye olde Concise Oxford English Dictionary celebrates its 100-year anniversary this week. And, in keeping with the habits of original compilers Henry and George Fowler, the stalwart tome has marked the occasion by embracing a selection of modern words.

Although not really befitting a technology website, we're shoehorning this story in because a number of (tenuously) associated words have been thrown into the mix.

For example the Concise Oxford English Dictionary now contains: retweet, the act of spreading a tweet message via Twitter; sexting, the exchange of sexually themed phone messages; cyberbullying, the bullying or abusing of other people online or by text; and woot, an online exclamation of joy.

Other, non-technological terminology added include the likes of: surveil, denialist; gastric band; mankini; jeggings; domestic goddess, and slow food.

Casting an eye back on history, some of the (now widely unused) words that graced the 1911 edition included; marconigram, a message sent by Marconi's system of wireless telegraphy; growlery, a place, private room or den, to growl in; and brabble, a paltry but noisy quarrel.

The very first edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary cost a mere three shillings and six pence and contained 38,000 words. The latest (12th) edition offers almost ten times that amount in terms of applicable content and costs $60 USD.

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