Language is a fluid thing. There are no real “authorities” that create words but dictionaries can serve as reflections of the words people are using in every day life. To some degree words gain a certain legitimacy once they are included in the dictionary. How does a word get into the dictionary? This interesting infographic from Merriam-Webster maps out the process.
“We’ve been at it again: the Merriam-Webster.com dictionary has gotten bigger, this time by over 250 new words and definitions. These terms have shown themselves to be fully established members of the language, some after hanging about on the fringes for decades, and others after proving themselves too useful to ignore in relatively short order. All have demonstrated significant use in a variety of sources, making them words our readers expect to find in the dictionary. As always, the expansion of the dictionary mirrors the expansion of the language, and reaches into all the various cubbies and corners of the lexicon.”
Click on the image to see the full graphic.
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