Bucket List, Gastropub, Earworm, Mash-up Among Merriam-Webster's New Words for 2012

Posted on August 15, 2012

Merriam-Webster has released its list of new words being added to the 2012 update of Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Words from cutting-edge science (copernicium, a new chemical element) and pop culture (man cave) and words elevated by foodies (gastropub) are among the latest addition.

Merriam-Webster Editor at Large Peter Sokolowsk, says, "Some of the new words this year provide colorful images. Terms like 'man cave,' 'underwater' (when used to describe mortgages), 'earworm,' and 'bucket list' paint vivid pictures in your mind. They show that English-speakers can be very creative as they describe the world around them."

Here a few more of the newly added words:

A video about the new words uses Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" as an example of a song that is an earworm, which is defined as "a song or melody that keeps repeating in one's mind." Take a look:


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