‘Touch grass,’ ‘For You page’: See 200 new words and phrases added to Merriam-Webster

Merriam-Webster online has added 200 new words to its database.

Photo illustration: Brandon Bell/Getty Images

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Photo illustration: Brandon Bell/Getty Images

In the ever-evolving world of linguistics, it can sometimes be challenging to keep up with new words, from slang to science. The online dictionary, Merriam-Webster.com, has taken a stab at keeping itself up to date, adding 200 new words and phrases to its database.

“Our lexicographers monitor a huge range of sources to select which words and definitions to add,” said Peter Sokolowski, editor at large for Merriam-Webster. “From academic journals to social media, these give us a very thorough view of the English language.”

The new additions include words from the world of science and nature, like “spotted lanternfly,” which is defined in part as “a hemipteran insect (Lycorma delicatula) of Asia and especially China (…) that has been introduced to the United States, where it is considered an invasive.”

One might also find the definition for the phrase “touch grass,” which Merriam-Webster defines as: “to participate in normal activities in the real world especially as opposed to online experiences and interactions.” However, after learning the definition of the spotted lanternfly, one could be forgiven for a bit of hesitation around too much nature.

“The one constant of a vibrant living language is change,” Merriam-Webster President Gregory Barlow said.

“We continuously encounter new ways of describing the world around us, and the dictionary is a record of those changes,” Barlow said.

Today’s lexicon differs greatly from yesteryear’s, especially in the era of social media, where trendy regional phrases can easily cross digital borders.

The new roster of words also includes several political phrases that have become commonplace in national discourse.

There’s the Trump-popularized “MAGA”: “a political movement calling for strict limits on immigration and a return to policies and practices in place before globalization.”

Or you can learn what it means to be “far left,” which the online dictionary says is “the group of people whose political views are the most liberal.”

You’ll be sure to hear those phrases a lot in the next month – possibly on your For You Page – as Americans prepare to take to the polls on Nov. 5.