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Demonstrations against racism and police brutality have put the words dissent and protest at the center of our vocabulary this year. Dictionary.com has seen a surge of interest in these words, which speak to their relevance to our current times. The death of George Floyd—a Black man who was killed after a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes—has inspired worldwide protests that continue …
Thanks to clicks, likes, and verified blue checkmarks, a person’s reputation can extend far beyond those who know them personally. For example, it’s widely known that Chris Evans is a real-life Captain America who holds doors open for people, and we all acknowledge that Beyoncé is a goddess among us mere mortals. Speaking of superpowers, before she passed away on September 18, 2020, Supreme Court …
This September, we released our biggest update to the dictionary ever. Our dictionary editors touched over 15,000 entries in a sweeping effort to reflect the many ways language is evolving. From capitalizing Black to adding a separate entry for Pride to revising references to suicide, our update addresses topics that touch us on some of our most personal levels: race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, …
Now more than ever before, public art is on the rise. New murals crop up in cities, large and small, on what feels like an everyday basis, each one breathing new, vibrant life into the streets that were once blank canvases for creativity. The terms graffiti and street art have long been used interchangeably to describe these public art installations—but what should we really call …
Instead of going back into the classroom during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, many students transitioned to virtual learning—but this doesn’t mean that all of their classes were held live over video. Some students were able to start the day on their own terms and work through assignments at their own speed. Does this mean their teachers were participating in asynchronous learning, or were these students …
When Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man in Wisconsin, was shot several times in the back by police in late August 2020, the Milwaukee Bucks took a major stand. In an unprecedented move, this NBA team declared they would not be participating in their playoff game. But instead of playing basketball, was this team going on strike in solidarity of the social movement Black Lives …
Move over flamingos, unicorns, and sloths, there’s another another animal that’s starting to take over as the trendy addition to mugs, clothing, and accessories. But are these adorable shaggy mammals popping up across home goods, clothing, and toys llamas? Or are these sweet, fluffy creatures that people adore called alpacas? And what’s the difference between the two? Despite being commonly mixed up, llamas and alpacas are …
Every year as the weather heats up, grills are dusted off and meats and vegetables are thrown on the fire. To those in the West and many northern cities, this is barbecuing. Just don’t call it that in the South or parts of the Midwest like Kansas City, Mo., because in certain regions, not everything cooked on a grill is called barbecue. The word barbecue means different …
One of the basics of tennis is you never want to hit your ball into the net. Most people won’t confuse this mesh fabric divider that runs across the court with the word gross (even if botching an easy volley straight into the net might feel gross). But when talking about money, the line that divides net and gross profits isn’t as clear. What is the …
When it comes to certain white women these days, it doesn’t matter what lovely moniker their parents may have given them. They’ve also been deigned with the name Karen, Becky, or Stacy. Why? These common names are now shorthand for a certain kind of woman who either behaves badly or others like to complain about. As viral videos of Beckys blow up and the service industry …
[ ih-ley-shuhn ]
Sep 27, 2020