Hashtag, Selfie and Tweep Have Been Accepted Into the Dictionary

Mashable

Image: NATHAN MARTIN/Associated Press

By Jason Abbruzzese

Merriam-Webster has added more than 150 words and definitions to its collegiate dictionary for 2014, with many reflecting the collision of technology and pop culture.
Some of the new words include "hashtag," "selfie" and "tweep," along with new definitions for words like "catfish," which is now recognized as "a person who sets up a false social network profile for deceptive purposes," according to a press release from the company.

"Crowdfunding," "gamification" and "steampunk" join the dictionary as well, as does "Yooper" — a nickname for "a native or resident of the upper peninsula of Michigan."
Not all the words are tech related, though. A batch of food words are making their first appearance; among the new words are "Pho" (a soup made of beef or chicken broth and rice noodles), "turducken" (a boneless chicken stuffed into a boneless duck stuffed into a boneless turkey), and "poutine" (a dish of French fries covered with brown gravy and cheese curds).

"Fracking," a term used to describe hydraulic fracturing, a controversial mining method for release gas and oil, has also been added.
"So many of these new words show the impact of online connectivity to our lives and livelihoods," said Peter Sokolowski, editor at large at Merriam-Webster, in the press release.The embrace of technology as a shaper of modern language has not gone unnoticed at the Collins English Dictionary, either. The company announced Twictionary on Monday, a tool to comb Twitter for new words.

Language enthusiasts can vote online among options like "duckface" and "adorkable" for a word that will be added to the twelfth edition of the Collins English Dictionary