It may have been an issue of heated debate in the real world in recent years and an often-used term, but in the world of lexicographers, the word ‘Grexit’ did not exist until two weeks ago, when it was added to The Oxford English Dictionary.

The dictionary’s online database is updated on a quarterly basis to incorporate words and phrases that are sufficiently established in the everyday use of the English language.

With the Grexit scenario dominating headlines over the past three years, it was only a matter of time for the term to be deemed worthy of inclusion in the esteemed dictionary.

Having placed its origin back in 2012, the Oxford team defined Grexit as: “A term for the potential withdrawal of Greece from the eurozone (the economic region formed by those countries in the European Union that use the euro as their national currency).”

Among the new 1,000 words added is ‘Brexit’, referring to the potential or hypothetical departure of the United Kingdom from the EU.

A new generation of neologisms (newly-coined words or expressions) have won ground in the English language, such as ‘hangry’ (an adjective describing someone who is bad-tempered or irritable as a result of hunger) and ‘awesomesauce’, meaning extremely good.

One latest entry guaranteed to make you lose your appetite is the noun ‘fatberg’ – “a very large mass of solid waste in a sewerage system, consisting especially of congealed fat and personal hygiene products that have been flushed down toilets”.

The dictionary has also officially recognised the terms ‘beer o’clock’ and ‘wine o’clock’ and ‘manspreading’, used to describe the practice when “a man, especially one travelling on public transport, adopts a sitting position with his legs wide apart, in such a way as to encroach on an adjacent seat or seats”.

According to the senior editor of Oxford Dictionaries, Fiona McPherson, the addition of slang words and expressions does not reflect a degradation, but rather a natural evolution of the language.

“There have always been new slang words. I just think we are more aware of them because of the ways in which we consume and live our lives now.

“We are bombarded with more and more avenues where those sort of words are used and we just think that there are more of them. I don’t necessarily think that’s the case.

“From my point of view, as a leixcographer, it’s not really about dumbing down, it’s more creative ways that people are using language.”

Source: The Telegraph (UK)