American dictionary company Merriam-Webster added 640 new words to its lexicon this year, including transgender and non-binary inclusive words.

‘The work of revising a dictionary is constant, and it mirrors the culture’s need to make sense of the world with words,’ the company said about this year’s new slate of words.

In some cases, existing words receive updates and additional definitions based on society’s use and evolution of the word. In other cases, words are added for the very first time.

That’s the case with several of the trans terms.

Just look it up in the dictionary

The health terms Merriam-Webster added this year include: gender nonconforming, top surgery, and bottom surgery.

For gender nonconforming, this is the provided definition: ‘exhibiting behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits that do not correspond with the traits typically associated with one’s sex’.

When it comes to the two surgery terms, Merriam-Webster specifically states these are for ‘gender confirmation surgery… to match their gender identity’.

It is also important to note the dictionary’s use of ‘gender confirmation surgery’. This is the more updated term compared to the older ‘gender reassignment surgery’.

Other fun new words

Some of the other new words people will find in the latest edition of the dictionary include EGOT (someone who’s won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony), stan (a hardcore fan), and unplug (to withdraw from various electronics and/or daily distractions and obligations).

Elsewhere, words like ‘snowflake’ and ‘purple’ received additional definitions.

Snowflake now also means ‘someone regarded or treated as unique or special’ and ‘someone who is overly sensitive’.

Purple, meanwhile, can now officially refer to geographical locations within the United States where the voter majority is not clearly Democrat (blue) or Republican (red).

See also

After Janelle Monáe comes out, pansexual tops Merriam-Webster’s search

The word ‘asexual’ is officially now in the dictionary

Two percent of US high school students identify as transgender