TAG | Fanboy, malware and webinar but 3 of Merriam-Webster’s new words for 2008 |
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| by Alex Zaharov-Reutt | |
| Wednesday, 09 July 2008 | |
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But of more interest to tech types could well be some of the technological words now added to the “new” list. One well known word is “fanboy”, sometimes spelled “fanboi”, which is often given to zealous fans of particular games consoles or computing platforms. But lest you think it is new, Merriam-Webster says it was first used way back in 1919, with the definition of “Fanboy” being a “boy who is an enthusiastic devotee, such as of comics or movies.” Of course they should have added games consoles or computers to the list, but either way, we all know what a fanboy is, even without Merriam-Webster’s help! Other words include malware from 1990, which is “software designed to interfere with a computer's normal functioning”, then netroots from 2003, which is defined as “grassroots political activists who communicate via the Internet, especially by blogs”. Yet another is webinar, from 1998, which is defined as a “live, online educational presentation during which participating viewers can submit questions and comments.” Oddly enough, Merriam-Webster has not provided a list I can find on its website of the more than 100 new words, but an article from the Associated Press lists a few they sourced from Merriam-Webster. Not all are tech related or I’d have mentioned a few more above, but here is a partial list, anyway: Air quotes (1989): gesture made by raising and flexing the index and middle fingers of both hands, used to call attention to a spoken word or expression. Dark energy (1998): hypothetical form of energy that produces a force that opposes gravity and is thought to cause the accelerating expansion of the universe. Dirty bomb (1956): bomb designed to release radioactive material. Dwarf planet (1993): celestial body that orbits the sun and has a spherical shape, but is too small to disturb other objects from its orbit. Continued on page 2. |
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