English is a fabulous mess of a language, built with words from all over the world. It’s a Germanic language that borrowed words from French, Spanish, and Italian, as well as ancient Greek and Latin. We also borrowed words from Arabic, Korean, Russian, Maori, Hindi, Malay, Urdu, Irish, Sanskrit, Portuguese, and Chinese.
In fact, 80% of all English words are loan words from more than 350 other languages.
English is changing all the time. Grammar rules, punctuation rules, even the meanings of certain words change. For example, "nice" used to mean "foolish," "naughty" used to mean "needy or poor," and in the 1600s, "disappoint" used to mean "to remove from office."
When I see in the news that certain politicians were "disappointed," only to find they were slightly sad, then I’m disappointed as well. Also in the modern sense of the word.
One reason English is always changing is because important dictionaries add new entries to their database of words. This August, the Cambridge Dictionary, the world’s largest online dictionary, added 6,212 new words to its database.
The most annoying word that everyone is talking about is "skibidi," which the Associated Press called "a gibberish term" that was coined by a Russian YouTube influencer.
Now, Generation Alpha uses it to mean "cool," "bad," or even with no real meaning, and I have never wanted to yell at kids to get off my lawn more.
Another addition is "tradwife," a portmanteau of "traditional wife." It refers to the 1950s mom who cooks, cleans, and posts on social media about it, just like our grandmothers used to do. It’s a controversial trend playing out on TikTok and Instagram, receiving plenty of hate and derision from feminists.
Despite the advancements we have made as a society, there are still plenty of men who believe a woman’s place is in the kitchen, and there are a growing number of women who agree with them. Still, as someone raised by a feminist mother with a strong personality, I’m not about to tell any women how they should live their lives, even if they do prefer living in the 19th century.
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| Dululu is a town in Queensland, Australia |
"Broligarchy" also made the list. A combination of "bro" and "oligarchy," the term refers to the tech bros who have hoarded billions of dollars, made on the backs of their workers, and then use their wealth to send themselves to space, unfortunately, for only a short time.
We saw the broligarchy in action when Elon Musk was in charge of DOGE and slashing government jobs without any inkling of the importance of those jobs or the function they actually played in keeping our country safe.
Another term is "mouse jiggler," which is a device or a piece of software used to make it seem like you are working when you are not. During the pandemic, many companies hated the idea that they couldn’t micromanage everyone to ensure they weren’t slacking off or — gasp! — enjoying their time at home. So they installed computer monitoring software on people’s work computers to spy on them and make sure their screens were active.
A mouse jiggler moves your mouse every few minutes so it looks like you’re staring at a screen and not sleeping on the couch or taking a two-hour lunch, like the executives you work for. After all, you had to stay productive so the broligarchy could grow rich off the sweat of your brow. Those space rockets won’t pay for themselves.
"Lewk" also made it. It’s an odd pronunciation of the word "look," referring to an unusual or eye-catching fashion, style, or outfit. It’s used in fashion journalism and was popularized by the TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race.
You use it in a sentence like "Dave’s combination of plaid golf pants, pirate shirt, knee-length necktie, and neon pink cowboy hat was an interesting 'lewk' to wear at the office. Dave’s 'work spouse' was so embarrassed."
"Work spouse" is another new word, referring to a person you have a close, but non-romantic (probably) relationship with at work. This is the person, usually of the opposite sex, you spend most of your time with. But instead of exchanging marital vows, you sign an employment contract.
You should be happy with this arrangement, though, or at least pretend to be. That’s because "pleasanteeism" made it. It’s the idea that you have to look cheerful and friendly at work, even if you’re upset or anxious, so people, especially those who are senior to you, think well of you.
Never mind that you’re dying inside because you realized that no matter how hard you work, you’ll never be as rich as the CEO, who’s making 3500 times more money than you.
Don’t worry, maybe they’ll go to space and won’t come back. Won’t they be disappointed?
My new humor novel, Mackinac Island Nation, is finished and available from 4 Horsemen Publications. You can get the ebook and print versions here.