New words are added to the dictionary every year. Here are a few that were added in 2011:
Americana
Bromance
Cougar
Fist Bump
Crowdsourcing
Tweet
Helicopter Parenting
Now, while I'm sure "cougar" has been in the dictionary for a while, obviously its new definition has just been added, and that's fine, but do we really need "bromance"? And "fist bump"? I'm continually shocked, although I shouldn't be, at how few words the average person's vocabulary contains now. If you do some research on it, there are various points of view on exactly how many words the average person uses, but there does seem to be consensus on the fact that it's fewer now than it used to be.
Here's a thought. As well as adding new words and phrases to the dictionary each year, wouldn't it be interesting to resurrect some amazing words that aren't used in everyday conversations any more? I have some favorites. Maybe you do too?
Here's one: "pulchritudinous." How mouth-wateringly lovely is that word? Instead of calling someone merely pretty or beautiful, to extol the virtues of pulchritude is just, well, more interesting.
Let me know your favorite words that seem to have fallen out of fashion. Maybe we can start a new trend. I'll post a couple more of mine very soon.
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