The Nation on MSN

Can the Dictionary Keep Up?

Books & the Arts / In Stefan Fatsis’s capacious, and at times score-settling, personal history of the reference book, he ...
Hyperallergic

Tracing the 500-Year History of the English Dictionary

Clarence Major, Dictionary of Afro-American Slang (1970), The Queen's Vernacular: A Gay Lexicon, San Francisco: Straight Arrow Books (1972), and Cheris Kramarae and Paula Treichler with Ann Russo, A ...
Hosted on MSN

Unabridged reveals one important reason the dictionary might be in danger

The new book explores the evolution of the dictionary, as well as how we use and create language Unabridged was featured on the Dec. 25 episode of NPR's Book of the Day Fastis' book covers how the ...
Time

Why We Turn to the Word ‘Surreal’ Whenever Something Terrible Happens

Following the terror attacks that took place Sept. 11, 2001, people across the country began searching Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary for the same word. The ...
Forbes

Merriam-Webster Adds 'Stan' To The Dictionary: A Brief History

Every so often, a new word (or canon of words) gets added to Merriam-Webster's dictionary. Following popular usage and a socially-acceptable, widely circulated and accepted definition, the newest term ...