The 2024 edition of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary features over 200 new words, including specific foods, food trends, nutritional terms and other common American food terms.
“Our lexicographers monitor a huge range of sources to select which words and definitions to add,” says Peter Sokolowski, editor at large for Merriam-Webster. “From academic journals to social media, these give us a very thorough view of the English language.” Each addition “has demonstrated widespread use over time, and offer[s] a window into the world today,” Forbes’ Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner wrote.
Some food-themed nouns include street corn (which the dictionary defines as “grilled corn on the cob that is coated with a creamy spread”), burrata (“mozzarella formed into a ball-shaped casing that contains curds and cream”) and capicola (“a seasoned Italian pork that is cut from the neck and top shoulder”).
Notable adjectives include ultra-processed, which describes food “containing or made primarily with highly processed ingredients including artificial additives (such as coloring, flavoring, and preservatives) and typically having high levels of fat, sugar, or salt.”
The dictionary also includes a definition for the International Bitterness Unit, which is “used to assess the concentration of a bitter compound found in hops in order to provide information about how bitter a beer is.”
