In the endeavor to fully plumb the English language, often it takes a puissant effort of circumlocution to make a point you can kvell over. ...more

October 15, 2008

Merriam-Webster Inc. has added more than 100 new entries to its new edition of the Collegiate Dictionary. Here are some, along with the year in which Merriam-Webster first found them used in an English-language publication. ...more

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. ...more

July 7, 2008