Fluffernutter FTW, amirite?
According to Merriam-Webster, that’s now a full sentence.
The company added 455 new words to its online dictionary this week, many of which originated online. Editors say the pandemic has “only increased the practice” of communicating online, adding: “The quick and informal nature of messaging, texting, and tweeting has contributed to a vocabulary newly rich in efficient and abbreviated expression.”
“FTW” and “amirite” are internet slang words. “FTW,” an abbreviation of “for the win,” is an indication of support that the dictionary says is “often used to acknowledge a clever or funny response to a question or meme.”
“Amirite” is another amalgamation of words meaning “am I right.” Meanwhile, “fluffernutter” is a classic American comfort food, and is a sandwich made with marshmallow fluff and peanut butter between two slices of white bread.
The term gained a bit of notoriety in 2013 when Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) was pictured eating fluffernutter cupcakes to celebrate his 66th birthday.
Other new food-related terms include “horchata,” the cold sweetened beverage made from ground rice or almonds and usually flavored with cinnamon or vanilla, and “chicharron,” the popular fried pork belly or pig skin snack.
A number of new words also stemmed directly from the coronavirus pandemic, including “super-spreader,” “breakthrough” (as in cases or infections), “vaccine passport” and “long covid.”
Partisan politics contributed more slang to the lexicon, such as “whataboutism," which Merriam-Webster defines as “the act or practice of responding to an accusation of wrongdoing by claiming that an offense committed by another is similar or worse.” For Britons, the dictionary notes that “whataboutery” is more commonly used.
The dreaded “vote-a-ramas” that have become a fixture in the U.S. Congress is explained this way: “an unusually large number of debates and votes that happen in one day on a single piece of legislation to which an unlimited number of amendments can be introduced, debated, and voted on.”
As for “dad bod”? The dictionary defines that as a “physique regarded as typical of an average father; especially: one that is slightly overweight and not extremely muscular.”
Merriam-Webster frequently updates the terms included in its dictionary, writing in part: "Just as the language never stops evolving, the dictionary never stops expanding."
"New terms and new uses for existing terms are the constant in a living language, and our latest list brings together both new and likely familiar words that have shown extensive and established use," editors added.
The Merriam-Webster site has about 40 million unique monthly users and about 100 million monthly page views.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.