Dictionary.com adds box braids to its lexicon
The wordbook defines box braids as a triple-stranded braid made from the hair in a square-shaped area of the scalp.
Dictionary.com has 566 new entries, and box braids is one of them.
Box braids are a term for a triple-stranded braid made from the hair in a square-shaped area of the scalp. A second description describes it as a hairstyle popularized by Black people and involves parting the hair into little squares or other shapes above the scalp and braiding the hair from each area.
Grandfamily, CODA, gay marriage, and amalgagender are more expressions that fit into the identity and relationships category with box braids.
“People are so creative!” said Grant Barrett, head of lexicography at Dictionary.com and co-host of the “A Way with Words” radio show. “As you can imagine, recording the ever-changing language is incredibly enjoyable while also being intellectually stimulating.”
The leading online and mobile English-language educational resource has included 348 new meanings for existing entries and 2,256 amended definitions in its fall 2023 update as part of its ongoing effort to keep up with the rapidly evolving English language.
Some key concepts and terms include pop culture and slang, such as jawn and nepo baby.
WPVI News reported that jawn is a common informal noun and sometimes an action verb, perhaps exclusively used by Philadelphians.
Dictionary.com describes it as “something or someone for which the speaker does not know or does not need a specific name.”
Barrett said that after spending two years in their database and appearing on TV, in movies, novels, music, and blog posts, the website eventually reached the point where it was inevitable to include in the dictionary.
“Even though dictionary-making is what we do, we’re still delighted with the variety, depth and complexity of this big batch of terms,” added Barrett, according to Dictionary.com. “There’s so much that shows how vibrant the language is, as it keeps up with changes in culture and society.”
Contemporary issues covered in the dictionary now include greenwashing and Big Pharma; artificial intelligence, such as generative AI, hallucination, and GPT; health and wellness, like decision fatigue, coffee nap, and intermittent fasting; and climate and extreme weather, such as climate refugee and atmospheric river.
Lexicographers withdrew binary-gendered expressions such as “his or her” and “he or she” from the entire lexicon in this most recent version, citing usage and inclusivity as the driving factors behind the move.
Barrett noted that they altered the entries to sound more natural, adding that the inclusion aspect of his or her excludes persons who use alternative pronouns.
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