Srsly? Bitcoin, selfie added to Oxford dictionary

IDG News Service - What do bitcoin, emoji and selfies have in common? They're all now official words, at least according to the Oxford dictionary.

More than 40 buzzy words with fashion as well as technology influences -- like, srsly -- have been added to Oxford's online site, the dictionary announced Wednesday.

Srlsy, for example, is Internet slang for seriously. Some of the newly defined words, like selfie, speak to the growth of social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook.

"The additions may have only just entered the dictionary, but we've been watching them for a while now, tracking how and where they are used," Oxford said in a blog post.

A selfie, now according to Oxford, is "a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website."

Similarly self-absorbed people must be doing something right -- "me time" was also added as a word.

Me time, according to Oxford, is "time spent relaxing on one's own as opposed to working or doing things for others, seen as an opportunity to reduce stress or restore energy."

While many of the added words are playful and in some cases quite complicated, most of their definitions are still fairly straightforward. The dictionary defines bitcoin as "a digital currency in which transactions can be performed without the need for a central bank."

An emoji, meanwhile, is "a small digital image or icon used to express an idea or emotion in an electronic communication," according to Oxford.

Elon Musk, the Tesla Motors CEO who is looking to colonize Mars through his other company SpaceX, would be happy to know that "space tourism" was added too.

Among the fashion terms making their debut in the online dictionary are flatform, geek chic and jorts. Jorts, the dictionary points out, is a good example of a portmanteau, or a word that combines two words in which part of one or both words is omitted -- in this case, "jeans" and "shorts."

LOL and OMG, two acronyms already defined by Oxford, have some new initialized friends too, in BYOD and MOOC.

Some of the added words, such as "unlike" or "buzzworthy," appear to be long overdue.

But Greg Sterling, a tech industry analyst with Opus Research, says Oxford moved too soon in adding some of the technology-inspired slang terms like selfie and "phablet."

"There should be more proven longevity in the words before they're formally incorporated," he said.

Oxford said it had been keeping an eye on the words "selfie" and "phablet" since at least last year, but that's still too fast, Sterling argued.

"Not every expression on the street or to come out of marketing or social media needs to go in the dictionary," he said.

Zach Miners covers social networking, search and general technology news for IDG News Service. Follow Zach on Twitter at @zachminers. Zach's e-mail address is zach_miners@idg.com

Reprinted with permission from IDG.net. Story copyright 2012 International Data Group. All rights reserved.

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Srsly? Bitcoin, selfie added to Oxford online dictionary

What do bitcoin, emoji, and selfies have in common? They’re all now official words, at least according to the Oxford online dictionary.

More than 40 buzzy words with fashion as well as technology influences—like, srsly—have been added to Oxford’s online site, the dictionary announced Wednesday. To be clear, the words have not been added to the Oxford English Dictionary, only to the Oxford Dictionaries Online.

Srlsy, for example, is Internet slang for seriously. Some of the newly defined words, like selfie, speak to the growth of social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook.

“The additions may have only just entered the dictionary, but we’ve been watching them for a while now, tracking how and where they are used,” Oxford said in a blog post.

A selfie, now according to Oxford, is “a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.”

Similarly self-absorbed people must be doing something right—“me time” was also added as a word.

Susie OchsA classic selfie

Me time, according to Oxford, is “time spent relaxing on one’s own as opposed to working or doing things for others, seen as an opportunity to reduce stress or restore energy.”

While many of the added words are playful and, in some cases, quite complicated, most of their definitions are still fairly straightforward. The dictionary defines bitcoin (shown at top) as “a digital currency in which transactions can be performed without the need for a central bank.”

An emoji, meanwhile, is “a small digital image or icon used to express an idea or emotion in an electronic communication,” according to Oxford.

Elon Musk, the Tesla Motors CEO who is looking to colonize Mars through his other company SpaceX, would be happy to know that “space tourism” was added too.

Among the fashion terms making their debut in the online dictionary are flatform, geek chic and jorts. Jorts, the dictionary points out, is a good example of a portmanteau, or a word that combines two words in which part of one or both words is omitted—in this case, “jeans” and “shorts.”

LOL and OMG, two acronyms already defined by Oxford, have some new initialized friends too, in BYOD and MOOC.

Some of the added words, such as “unlike” or “buzzworthy,” appear to be long overdue.

But Greg Sterling, a tech industry analyst with Opus Research, says Oxford moved too soon in adding some of the technology-inspired slang terms like selfie and “phablet.”

“There should be more proven longevity in the words before they’re formally incorporated,” he said.

Oxford said it had been keeping an eye on the words “selfie” and “phablet” since at least last year, but that’s still too fast, Sterling argued.

“Not every expression on the street or to come out of marketing or social media needs to go in the dictionary,” he said.

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Define awesome: Google beefs up dictionary in search

Google’s dictionary definitions are a handy way to make sure you’re using the right word in a pinch, but haven’t offered much else beyond proper spellings and definitions. Early Friday, Google elected to up its word game with an overhauled dictionary that goes beyond telling you what a word means.

The new definition function on Google Now

Google’s dictionary definitions now include sample sentences to give you a sense of word usage, synonyms, and in some cases antonyms, and even an option to translate the word into another language. Two of the coolest additions include a timeline showing a word’s origins and how it has evolved over time. You can also find a separate graph charting the word’s usage popularity from 1800 to the present.

If you’ve never used Google’s word definitions, just type “define [word]” into Google’s search box and you’ll get a definition in no time, along with all the new goodies.

The new tools are also available on mobile. Anyone with a modern Android phone can fire up Google Now and say “define warhammer” to have the definition spoken back along with the new dictionary features displayed on screen. Other mobile users should be able to find the same feature through Google’s search app.

How much detail you get for each definition depends on the age of the word and how common it is. For example, Google provided numerous details for words such as attack, fortuitous, and preamble, but only definitions for searches such as ice hockey, warhammer, and football.You can also get Google to speak the definition to you on the desktop by using the search engine’s voice command feature on Google.com.

Some of the other features may also vary depending on the word. Word origins, for example, may not appear as a timeline. Instead, you might see a chart showing the origins of the word from other languages or simply get a listing of the origin and historical variations of the word clumped together in a paragraph.

Google didn’t specify whether the new feature was available to all users worldwide or not. But judging by the reaction to the new feature in the comments on Google+, this feature may only be available to U.S. English users for now.

You will no longer have an excuse for being indolent or slothful when it comes to word choice.

If you do see the new feature, check it out. Google’s new dictionary definitions are a great addition for logophiles and anyone else who needs more information about a word beyond simply what it means.

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Ian is an independent writer based in Tel Aviv, Israel. His current focus is on all things tech including mobile devices, desktop and laptop computers, software, social networks, Web apps, tech-related legislation and corporate tech news.
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