It is fascinating to look at when a word entered the dictionary to get a feeling for that particular period of time.
Not only does this study give a fascinating insight into the evolution of the English language but it shows how culture moves on and develops as new words are needed to reflect social, political and industrial change.
Here are a selection of words and the years they entered the dictionary:
1905
aeroplane
carburettor
electron
1936
dashboard
shell-shock
talkies
1952
cold war
evacuee
skyscraper
1959
beatnik
comprehensive school
McCarthyism
1972
genetic engineering
hippy
psychedelic
1977
greenhouse effect
male chauvinist
skateboard
1983
byte
Exocet
leg-warmers
1988
AIDS
cellphone
yuppie
1993
eurosceptic
techno
virtual reality
1998
browser
millennium bug
touchy-feely
2003
docusoap
ringtone
webcam
2008
carbon footprint
credit crunch
social networking
2011
agroterrorism
bad bank
social media
Next week we look at a small collection of words which have changed their meanings over the years.
* All words in this blog post have been supplied by The 12th edition of The Chambers Dictionary. ISBN 97805501002379
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