LONDON — Woot! The online expression of enthusiasm is now in the dictionary. So are textspeak, sexting — and, less happily, cyberbullying. They are among 400 new entries in the 12th edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, published this month.
Another newcomer to the reference book’s 24,000 entries is retweet — to repost another Twitter user’s message.
Some of the new words describe forms of behavior and communication created by technology. There’s cyberbullying, a form of online abuse; and textspeak, the abbreviated language used in cellphone messages. And, of course, sexting — sending explicit photos or messages by mobile phone.
Less high-tech new entries include jeggings — a jeans-leggings hybrid popular with some and considered a fashion crime by others — and mankini, a sling-style bathing suit made infamous by comic character Borat.
Editor Angus Stevenson said the latest edition also added new meanings for existing words such as friend and follower to reflect their new online uses. A friend is no longer just an intimate acquaintance but also “a contact on a social networking website.”
