SASKATCHEWAN — Have you experienced a bootstrap paradox or down-firing?
Those are just two new words making it into official dictionaries in 2004 according to GrammarBook.co.
Bootstrap paradox is a science fiction noun. It is a closed loop created by time travel in which a person or object is sent back in time and the resulting timeline unfolds such that at its conclusion that person or object is sent back in time, once again setting off the timeline of events resulting in their being sent back in time in an infinite loop.
Mind-bending, right?
Down-firing might conjure images of “pink slips” but is actually a verb applying to a speaker unit, especially a subwoofer, directing sound down toward a floor's surface, typically to radiate or reflect bass frequencies.
Boom, boom!
Generation is probably a factor in embracing those terms but most can relate to spidey sense being made official.
Originally referring to the fictional superhero Spider-Man, spidey sense has evolved to describe a supernatural ability or power to perceive or intuit something as risky or dangerous.
There are more entries, most of which won’t enter the everyday speech of most Canadians, but as English is a constantly evolving language, this year’s entries are deemed common enough for official notice.
While a specific number can vary, many estimates suggest English includes more than one million words, although far fewer appear in dictionaries, according to GrammarBook.co.
New Dictionary Words Fall 2024
Note that some of the following new entries may be listed in some dictionaries but not others. Certain words also may have been in use for a while before their inclusion.
backhaul (verb): to transport goods back over a route previously travelled with another cargo.
baller (noun, informal slang): a successful person, especially one with a lavish or self-indulgent lifestyle; also a player of a ball game, usually with great talent.
bow echo (noun): a characteristic curved line seen in the radar image of a line of thunderstorms; also a storm containing a front of this shape.
chair yoga (noun): a form of yoga in which modified postures and breathing exercises are performed while seated or with the support of a chair.
cold open (noun): a scene, sketch, etc., that appears at the start of a show or film, often before the title sequence or credits, especially to hook viewers into the story.
cosplay (verb): to dress up in costume as (a character, esp. from anime, manga, video games, etc.); to perform as a character while dressed in this manner.
cringe (adj., informal slang): embarrassing or awkward, e.g., “That shirt he's wearing is so cringe!”
cromulent (adj.): fine or acceptable (origin The Simpsons).
dad bod (noun, informal slang): a physique lacking muscular definition and often having a bit of a belly, including to describe a man who was perhaps more physically fit in his youth before his body changed as he aged.
faux-hawk (noun): a hairstyle featuring a central ridge of upright hair but with the sides gathered.
fluffernutter (noun): a decadent sandwich containing marshmallow spread and peanut butter between slices of white bread.
figurehead (verb): to lead (an enterprise, organization, etc.), esp. only nominally and with little or no power.
flirtationship (noun): a period of repeated flirtatious behavior between two people; a social relationship which is based on and does not go beyond reciprocal flirting.
frontlash (noun): a reaction to a backlash; a counterreaction to a political or social backlash.
front-paging (noun): the action of featuring something on the front page of a newspaper or the front cover of a magazine.
Generation Alpha (Gen A) (noun): people born between 2010 and 2025.
jorts (noun): a pair of shorts made of denim, e.g., a pair of jeans cut off above the knee.
kayfabe (noun): a tacit agreement between professional wrestlers and their fans to pretend that overtly staged wrestling events are genuine.
manosphere (noun): a loosely affiliated network of masculinist websites, blogs, and online forums.
metaverse (noun): an environment of multiple virtual realities individualized for each user; also a reference to the hypothetical combination of all universes.
memeify (verb): to turn into a meme; to make the subject of a meme.
microtransaction (noun): online transactions involving a small amount of currency.
rizz (noun): the ability to attract a romantic partner through style, charm, or physical appeal; charisma (*Oxford University Press' word of the year for 2023).
sabb (noun): short for sabbatical officer, a student who holds a full-time paid position in a student union or similar body.
shadow ban (verb): to cause a user or their content to be hidden from some or all other users, usually without the user's knowledge.
shrinkflation (noun): a reduction of the volume or amount of a product per unit without lowering the price.
simp (verb): typically indicating a man, to be excessively attentive or submissive to someone, especially toward a romantic interest.
speedrunning (noun): attempting to complete a video game, or a specific section of a video game, in as short a time as possible.
throuple (noun): three people who are engaged or married to one another or involved as romantic partners.
touch grass (verb): to participate in normal activities in the real world, especially as opposed to online experiences and interactions.
turnt (adj.): stimulated or intoxicated by alcohol or drugs; also extremely energized or excited, highly charged; often with up.
wild child (noun): a young person regarded as rebellious, reckless, impulsive, or unrestrained.
wingsuiting (noun): the action or sport of skydiving, base jumping, etc., while wearing a wingsuit.
zeitgeisty (adj., informal slang): relating to or expressing the general trend of thought, feeling, or tastes characteristic of a particular period.
According to its , the current Oxford English Dictionary includes over 500,000 words.
Sources appear to agree that dictionaries add approximately 1,000 new words each year. In September 2023, Merriam-Webster.com added 690 new words. In 2022, the Oxford Dictionary added 650.
