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Pesca-what-ian? Look It Up

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The Associated Press

Published: July 7, 2008

Is it acceptable to serve edamame to a dinner guest who's a pescatarian?

Before your next party, go ahead and consult the latest edition of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, which now includes edamame (immature green soybeans), pescatarian (a vegetarian who eats fish) and about 100 other newly added words that have taken root in the American lexicon.

The wordsmiths at the Springfield, Mass.-based dictionary publisher say they picked the entries after monitoring their use.

"As soon as we see the word used without explanation or translation or gloss, we consider it a naturalized citizen of the English language," said Peter Sokolowski, an editor-at-large for Merriam-Webster. "If somebody is using it to convey a specific idea and that idea is successfully conveyed in that word, it's ready to go in the dictionary."

Many of the new entries reflect the nation's growing interest in the culinary arts. Others reflect current events and much-discussed news topics, including dirty bomb and Norovirus.

Allan Metcalf, executive secretary of the American Dialect Society and an English professor at MacMurray College in Illinois, said he thinks the entries that grew from the popularity of cooking shows and international cuisine will be among the most lasting and useful of the newcomers.

"I'm kind of used to laughing at the choices these editors publicize, but this time I'm impressed," he said.

Keyword: Dictionary, to see some of the more than 100 entries Merriam-Webster Inc. added to its Collegiate Dictionary.

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