As language is alive and ever-evolving, Dictionary.com stays up-to-speed by dropping new words every season, and the latest-and-greatest for fall is here! Here are 12 words that we absolutely love and plan to use every day to keep our language lively.
1. Shower Orange
noun. an orange that is peeled and eaten under a steamy shower, the purported benefit being that the steam enhances the orange’s citrusy fragrance and creates a soothing experience for the person who is showering.
Now this is the lap of self care luxury! BRB, just grabbing a shower orange and a towel.
Read all about it here.
2. Coffee Nap
noun. a short nap, usually 15–30 minutes, taken immediately after drinking a cup of coffee, the claimed benefit being that the energizing effect of caffeine may be bolstered by a sleeping body’s drop in adenosine levels.
In keeping with our self care theme, this is especially beneficial for neurodivergent brains that need help with those good brain chemicals.
3. Blursday
noun. Informal. a day not easily distinguished from other days, or the phenomenon of days running together.
This is the perfect word to describe the stuck feeling of corporate 9-5 monotony or the haze of domestic duties or just the general cog of life.
4. Sonder
noun. the feeling one has on realizing that every other individual one sees has a life as full and real as one’s own, in which they are the central character and others, including oneself, have secondary or insignificant roles.
Now that we're in existential crisis mode, if you ever needed a word for the realization that everyone else is the main character of their own lives and you're just a side character, here you go.
5. Grandfamily
noun. a family in which one or more children live with and are raised by their grandparent or grandparents.
I hope that, one day, every kid can see their family dynamic reflected in our language!
6. Box Braids
noun. a hairstyle originating among Black people, in which the hair is parted into small squares or other shapes over the scalp and the hair from each section is woven into a braid.
Hooray for seeing Afro Hairstyles being integrated into everyday language! We think it's about time.
7. Algo
noun. Computers. Informal. algorithm.
We're getting so comfy with algorithms these days that we've even given them a nickname. Just blame it on the algo.
8. Jolabokaflod
noun. an Icelandic tradition in which books are given as Christmas presents and opened on December 24, after which the evening is spent reading the books: from a practice begun in 1944, when paper goods were among the most available items in postwar Iceland.
Just in time for the holidays, this beautiful tradition is now part of the English language and maybe part of your festivities!
9. Unsee
verb (used with object). to remove (something seen) from one’s memory or conscious awareness; to forget or ignore images or the like.
When you just can't unsee those creepy scenes from Willy Wonka, The Wizard of Oz, All Dogs Go to Heaven...
10. Agelast
noun. Literary. a person who never laughs; a humorless person (often used attributively).
We ALL know one of these...they're real fun at parties!
11. Decision Fatigue
noun. Psychology. Psychiatry. mental and emotional exhaustion resulting from excessive or relentless decision-making, especially the cumulative effect of small decisions that one makes throughout each day.
Ever wished you could just hire someone to make all your decisions for you? Well, you might be suffering from decision fatigue.
12. Snite
verb. British. to wipe mucus from (the nose), especially with the finger or thumb.
I didn't know that we needed a word for this but now that I know it exists I cannot stop laughing.
Next time you need to increase your vocabulary, remember that this is just a drop in the bucket. You can read the whole list of newly-inducted words here!
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Get the recipes here.
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