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Were sure youll agree that 2024 is turning out to be anything butbeige(bland or unremarkable; uninspiring). Were set to see a record-breaking number of elections this year, with 50 countries due to head to the polls before the year is out. Readers with an interest in UK and/or European politics might remember that we addedBrexitto theOEDback in 2016. Since then, several related words have proven their longevity, and this month, weve added entries forleaver,Brexiter, andBrexiteer(referring to people who supported, campaigned, or voted for the United Kingdoms withdrawal from the European Union), as well asremainerandRemoaner(words referring to those who did the same on the other side, wanting the UK to stay in the EU).

If you find yourselfbefuddled(bewildered, confused) by current political debates, take refuge in theenjoyability(the fact or quality of being enjoyable; congeniality, pleasurableness) of the following lighter offering. Have you found the third series of Netflixs glamorousBridgertonbinge-worthy? Taken note of thehunkiness(qualities or characteristics considered to be hunky, especially rugged good looks or sexual attractiveness) of its male stars? Then it may interest you to know that it was not until the early 1900s that the wordglamourcame to be associated with attractiveness and luxury. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, glamour was all about enchantment to cast aglamour over someone meant putting them quite literally under your spell.

The word only became closely associated with visual opulence, physical attraction, and charisma in the later twentieth century, perhaps as a result of the rise of cinema and the Golden Age of Hollywood. In the 1970s, the advent ofglam rock the style of rock music where performers such as David Bowie made flamboyant clothes and make-up a feature of their onstage performances and personas sealed this linguistic shift. Other associated additions includeglam rocker,visual kei(the glam rock movement or aesthetic in Japanese rock music),glam up(to make oneself more glamorous),glamour puss(a glamorous or attractive person),glamazon(a tall, glamorous, and powerful woman), andglampsite the most luxurious location to get your fix of the great outdoors.

Speaking of the great outdoors,wildscapenow has its own entry. Meaning an area within which plants and animals have been able to thrive with minimal or no human presence, it conjures up more peaceful scenes than some of our other environment-related additions.Five-alarm(designating a particularly large, fierce, destructive fire, especially one requiring a large-scale response from firefighters) andmegadrought(a drought lasting many years, great both in extent and severity) echo other alarming language used in the world of meteorology, such asweather bomb(added in 2015) andblood rain(added in 2012).

Moving back indoors and online, weve added a number of technology related terms, perhaps most notablyartificial general intelligence, orAGIfor short. This is a form of AI in which a machine or computer program can (hypothetically) simulate behaviour as intelligent as, or more intelligent than, that of a human being. When it comes to human activity on the internet, weve addedfreecycle(to give away an unwanted possession, especially when agreed or arranged via an online network) andedgelord(a person who affects a provocative or extreme persona, especially online).Snackable, meanwhile, can be used to describe a video or other item of digital content, especially on social media, that is designed for brief and easy consumption, or to refer to food intended as a snackIRL(in real life which is not a new addition, but is an enjoyable acronym).

Speaking of snacks, babyccino(a frothy hot milk drink for children, intended to resemble a cappuccino) and the regrettableshrinkflation(a reduction in the size or weight of products with no corresponding reduction in price, a phenomenon first described this way in 2008) can now be found in theOED. Fewer tasty treats for more money? How regrettable. One last food-related anecdote before we sign off the verbbeefhas a new first sense. Evidence dating from the early 1800s shows the phraseto cry beefhad the meaning to raise the alarm or make an outcry against a person, especially to cry for help to arrest an escaping thief. This seems to be a precursor to the more familiar current senses ofbeef(and indeedbeefing) relating to arguments, fights, and feuds.

Sadly, we cantsqueeze another word in edgeways(to contribute something to a conversation, usually with the implication that this is difficult because the other speakers are talking incessantly).T minusthree months until the next quarterly update Join us then.

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For more insight into the surprising joint linguistic origins of the words glamourandgrammar, seethis blog post. Thesenew word notesinclude discussion of the wordcoruscating(recommended reading), and this piece focuses on updates aroundIndo-European words. A selection of highlights from the list ofnew wordsadded,new sensesadded, and additions tounrevised entriesare available too.

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Artificial General Intelligence, Shrinkflation and Snackable are Some of the Many New, Revised, or Updated Words and ... - LJ INFOdocket