Just In: Oxford dictionary adds COVID-19, self-isolation as new English words [See full list]

The Oxford English Dictionary has been updated with new words relating to the deadly coronavirus pandemic in its April edition.

Onyxnews Nigeria gathered that additions were also made in the dictionary’s sub-entries and unrevised entries.

The new words added include: COVID-19, infodemic, R0, self-isolate, self-isolated, self-isolating, self-isolation, self-quarantine, self-quarantined, shelter in place, social distancing, and social isolation.

The dictionary also added “to flatten the curve” in its new entries.

“PPE” and “social recession” were updated in the dictionary’s sub-entries while “elbow bump” and “WFH” – working (or work) from home – were included in its unrevised entries.

According to Punch, Oxford English Dictionary website listed 20 keywords searched during the deadly coronavirus pandemic from January to March.

In January and February, some of the keywords related to coronavirus; others referred to other world events such as the Australian bushfires, the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, Donald Trump’s impeachment and acquittal, the Democratic caucuses, locust swarms in East Africa, investigations into the Astros sign-stealing scandal, and more.

However, last month, every one of the top twenty keywords was in some way related to coronavirus.

In January, the words mainly relate to naming and describing the virus: coronavirus, SARS, virus, human-to-human, respiratory, and flu-like.

By March the keywords reflect the social impact of the virus, and issues surrounding the medical response.

Among the words listed are social distancing, self-isolation, and self-quarantine, lockdown, non-essential (as in non-essential travel), and postpone are all especially frequent, as are PPE and ventilator.

Others are COVID-19, pandemic, distancing, coronavirus, self-isolate, sanitiser, quarantine, virus, outbreak, corona, postpone, disinfect, and isolation.

OED Executive Editor, Bernadette Paton, said the origin of the words were gotten through news and social media, adding that the words have been in use for many years but became common these days due to the condition the world is in now.

“Some of the terms with which we have become so familiar over the past few weeks through the news, social media, and government briefings and edicts have been around for years (many date from the nineteenth century), but they have achieved new and much wider usage to describe the situation in which we currently find ourselves,” Paton said.