The Star Malaysia

about these new words?

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> The Oxford English Dictionary ( OED) is updated four times a year, in March, June, September and December. More than 1,000 new words, senses and sub-entries were added to the OED in September.

> Words originatin­g from Indian English have been added. They include “qila”, which means fort or fortress; and “bada din”, which means a significan­t day on which a momentous event takes place. > Another recent addition is “fatberg”, a new word that dates only from 2008. It means a large mass of waste found blocking a sewage system, or a lump of cooking fat which has congealed and hardened after being poured down the drain.

> Words not regarded as part of standard English have also been included in the OED. “Worstest” is a double superlativ­e used mainly in representa­tions of nonstandar­d speech or for humorous effect. The first recorded use of the word comes from a 1768 comedy called Modern Courtship.

> Regional English words have also been added. For instance, a “croggy” is used in some parts of England to describe a ride given to a passenger on a bicycle, sitting on the crossbar or behind the person pedalling.

> The Online Oxford Dictionari­es Word of the Year 2017 is “youthquake”, which is defined as “a significan­t cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people”.

> The data compiled by Oxford Dictionari­es editors found a fivefold increase in usage of the word “youthquake” last year compared to 2016. There was a spike after the UK elections in June and New Zealand’s elections in September.

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