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posted by mrpg on Tuesday March 13 2018, @03:51AM   Printer-friendly
from the at-least-we-don't-use-kanjis dept.

Submitted via IRC for Bytram

The language doesn't take a vacation, and neither does the dictionary. The words we use are constantly changing in big ways and small, and we're here to record those changes. Each word has taken its own path in its own time to become part of our languageā€”to be used frequently enough by some in order to be placed in a reference for all. If you're likely to encounter a word in the wild, whether in the news, a restaurant menu, a tech update, or a Twitter meme, that word belongs in the dictionary.

[...] In recent years, the richest source of these newly adopted foreign-language words has been the world of food-or, perhaps we should say: the food of the world.

[...] The sometimes perplexing domain of digital financial exchanges opens a window into a subject that requires explanation for many of us, hence the detailed definition of cryptocurrency

[...] Health care, both physical and psychological, gives us many new words as well. Neoadjuvant refers to treatment for a disease or condition that is administered before the primary treatment in order to improve the likelihood of a successful outcome

Source: The Dictionary Just Got a Whole Lot Bigger (archive, because "adblocker" is not their favorite word)


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  • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday March 13 2018, @08:08PM (2 children)

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday March 13 2018, @08:08PM (#651969) Journal

    What about using the wrong word? It's commonly done.

    Oh, that sucks.

    No. No, it doesn't. It bites. Not sucks. Sucks would be a good thing.

    I'll be right back, got to go take a dump.

    No. You're going to leave one, not take one.

    Same for I've got to leave a piss.

    --
    People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
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  • (Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Tuesday March 13 2018, @09:35PM (1 child)

    by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Tuesday March 13 2018, @09:35PM (#652016) Journal

    Said every standup comedian ever since 1963, LOL. I always wondered about those myself honestly, but usage is usage.

    --
    I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
    • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday March 14 2018, @01:47PM

      by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday March 14 2018, @01:47PM (#652364) Journal

      I am not aware of any standup comedian said that. But I am not surprised.

      The "take" vs "leave" is one I came up with in 1980 in college.

      The "bites" is one I came up with in about 2000.

      But I am not at all shocked or surprised if others have independently made the same observations.

      --
      People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.