BIPOC, Panda Eyes, and Pumpkin Spice: New Definitions to the Oxford English Dictionary

The September 2022 update to the Oxford English Dictionary added over 650 new words, senses, and sub-entries, including BIPOC, panda eyes, and pumpkin spice.

This update was a big one for entries relating to "shock" and "top". New word entries include shock absorption, shockeroo, shockvertising, topbill, top-coat, top loading, topstitch, and top-to-toe. New subentries for "shock" and "top" words include shock collar, shock resistance, top-of-the-range, from the top down, off the top, and top-scoring. And new senses were also added to the OED, including a new sense for shock and 19(!) new senses for top, not to mention new senses for shock cone, shockproof, top banana, topknot, topper, and top-shelf.

"Shock" and "top" weren't the only new additions to the OED. There were also new word entries for blousy, gender identity, grocery shopping, jabbed, and wireless network. Other new sub-entries include energy poverty, line coach, side hustle, smart glasses, and surge testing. And new senses include co-op, double time, influencer, stuff, and treadmill.

For more about the latest update, check out Updates to the OED, September 2022 and OED September 2022 Release Notes: New Words. For more in-depth analysis and explanation about some of the recent additions, check out the OED blog posts Cabinet Reshuffle: From Furniture to Politics in a Single OED Entry, Shock! Horror! It’s a Shaggy Dog Story, and Toppers, Pipperoos, and Rumptydoolers: ‘Excellent’ Words in the Historical Thesaurus of the OED. And for a full list the the 650+ new words, senses, and sub-entries, check out New Words List September 2022.

The Oxford English Dictionary is a 24/7 membership benefit available to all Jenkins members. Need help understanding the different editions of the OED? Take a look at our prior blog posts Understanding the Editions of the Oxford English Dictionary Part 1 and Part 2.