Every year, Merriam-Webster considers the latest slang and idioms for possible addition to the unabridged dictionary. Just last month, words and abbreviations like "dox," "microbead," "TMI" and "hella" were added among the 2,000 new entries. The company takes addition seriously with a focus on certain criteria, including longevity of use.

One word that's caught the Massachusetts-based company's attention is "senpai" (also romanized as "sempai"). Merriam-Webster has noticed sempai, and everyone using the phrase online to denote wanted attention from another person.

The meme gained traction in 2012, especially on Tumblr. It got an additional boost when popular YouTuber PewDiePie began using the phrase regularly in his videos.

The question is whether more people will notice (and use) "senpai" to the extent that Merriam-Webster approves its addition. One thing is for sure, senpai isn't in any hurry to notice us.

Thanks to Shiroi Hane for the news tip