Selfie and tweep enter dictionary

America's best-selling Merriam-Webster dictionary has added "selfie", "hashtag" and "tweep" in a sign of technology's growing influence.

Actors as they pose for a "selfie" on a cell phone during the Oscars

Ellen Degeneres' celebrity-filled Oscars selfie has sparked a trend of people taking photos at work. (AAP)

"Selfie", "hashtag" and "tweep" are among more than 150 new words added to America's best-selling Merriam-Webster dictionary, spotlighting the growing influence of technology.

"So many of these new words show the impact of online connectivity to our lives and livelihoods," said Peter Sokolowski, editor-at-large for Merriam-Webster.

"Tweep, selfie, and hashtag refer to the ways we communicate and share as individuals."

Originally a social media buzzword, "selfie" was admitted to the online version of the Oxford English dictionary in 2013, which named it word of the year.

Merriam-Webster defined "selfie" as "an image of oneself taken by oneself using a digital camera especially for posting on social networks."

The dictionary said a "more playful intersection" of technology and human behaviour can be seen in "steampunk".

The word made the cut and was defined as "science fiction dealing with 19th century societies dominated by historical or imagined steam-powered technology".

"Crowdfunding", "big data" and "gamification" were also added, showing "how technology is being used to understand and motivate behaviour", the dictionary said.

Another newbie was "catfish": a person who sets up a false social networking profile for deceptive purposes.

"Fracking" was also admitted to the dictionary.

The technique involves using huge amounts of pressurised water mixed with chemicals to crack open shale - sedimentary rock containing hydrocarbons - to release natural gas or oil.

It has unlocked an energy boom in the United States but has sparked controversy in Australia as a threat to the environment.


Share
2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP

Tags

Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world