English for Students

New Words

Below are some of the New Words to enter our most recently published dictionary of current English: the Concise Oxford English Dictionary (Revised Eleventh Edition).

Abdominoplasty : Noun : Medicine : a surgical operation involving the removal of excess flesh from the abdomen

Aerobicized or aerobicised : Adjective : (of a person's body) toned by aerobic exercise : aerobicized Hollywood women

Agroterrorism : Noun : terrorist acts intended to disrupt or damage a country's agriculture : DERIVATIVE : Agroterrorist : Noun

Bahookie : Noun : Scottish : a person's buttocks : ORIGIN 1930s : prob. a blend of BEHIND and HOUGH + -IE

Best of breed : PHRASE : Any item or product considered to be the best of its kind

Blowback : Noun : Chiefly US : the unintended adverse results of a political action or situation

Celebutante : Noun : a celebrity who is well known in fashionable society : ORIGIN :1930s : blend of CELEBRITY and DEBUTANTE

Crunk : Noun : a type of hip-hop or rap music characterized by repeated shouted catchphrases and elements typical of electronic dance music, such as prominent bass

Crunk : Adjective : US chiefly black slang (of a person) very excited or full of energy : ORIGIN 1990s : perhaps an alternative past part of CRANK or a blend of CRAZY and DRUNK

The elephant in the room : PHRASE : a major problem or controversial issue which is obviously present but avoided as a subject for discussion because it is more comfortable to do so

Emulsion : Noun : a fine dispersion of one liquid or pure food substance in another : ravioli with pea and ginger emulsion

Hardscape : Noun : chiefly US : the man-made features used in landscape architecture, e.g. paths or walls as contrasted with vegetation : DERIVATIVE : Hardscaping : hoody (also hoodie) : informal : a person, especially a youth, wearing a hooded top

Mentee : Noun : a person who is advised, trained or counseled by a mentor

Mesotherapy : Noun : (in cosmetic surgery) a procedure in which multiple tiny injections of pharmaceuticals, vitamins, etc. are delivered into the mesodermal layer of tissue under the skin to promote the loss of fat or cellulite

Mzee : Noun : (in East Africa) an older person; an elder : ORIGIN : Kiswahili, ancestor, parent, old person

Obesogenic : Adjective : tending to cause obesity

Plank : Noun : Britain informal : a stupid person

Ponzu : Noun : (in Japanese cookery) a sauce or dip made with soy sauce and citrus juice : ORIGIN : Japanese, from pon smack, pop + zu from su vinegar

Radge : Scottish informal : Noun : a wild, crazy or violent person

Radge : Scottish informal : Adjective : wild, crazy or violent : ORIGIN : 1920s : appararently an alternative of RAGE

Rendition : Noun : (also extraordinary rendition) (especially in the US) the practice of sending a foreign criminal or terrorist suspect covertly to be interrogated in a country with less rigorous regulations for the humane treatment of prisoners

Retronym : Noun : a new term created from an existing word in order to distinguish the original referent of the existing word from a later one that is the product of progress or technological development (e.g. acoustic guitar for guitar) : ORIGIN :1980s: blend of RETRO- and –ONYM

Riffage : Noun : informal : guitar riffs, especially in rock music

Shoulder-Surfing : Noun : the practice of spying on the user of a cash-dispensing machine or other electronic device in order to obtain their personal identification number, password, etc. : DERIVATIVES : shoulder-surfer : Noun

SIPP : Noun : (in the UK) a self-invested personal pension, a pension plan that enables the holder to choose and manage the investments made

Therapize or therapise : Verb : subject to psychological therapy : you don't need to therapize or fix each other

Tri-band : Adjective : (of a mobile phone) having three frequencies enabling it to be used in different regions (typically Europe and the US)

Twonk : Noun : Brit. informal : a stupid or foolish person ORIGIN 1980s : perhaps A blend of TWIT1 or TWAT and PLONKER

Upskill : Verb : [often as noun upskilling] teach (an employee) additional skills : (of an employee) learn additional skills

Wedge Issue : Noun : US a very divisive political issue, regarded as a basis for drawing voters away from an opposing party whose supporters have diverging opinions on it

Yogalates (also trademark Yogilates) : Noun : a fitness routine that combines Pilates exercises with the postures and breathing techniques of yoga : ORIGIN 1990s : blend of YOGA and PILATES

Zombie : Noun : a computer controlled by a hacker without the owner's knowledge which is made to send large quantities of data to a website making it inaccessible to other users