The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has released its latest updates for January 2025, featuring 22 new Nigerian words.
Kingsley Ugwuanyi, a lecturer at the University of Nigeria,
and OED consultant, who played a key role in making it happen, took to
his X page on
Tuesday to announce the updated list.
Ugwuanyi revealed that he drafted most of the words and also
provided their pronunciations.
“The wait is over! I’m thrilled to announce that the @OED has officially published its latest updates, featuring an amazing collection of #NigerianEnglish words that beautifully reflect Nigeria’s culture, creativity, and the unique ways we express ourselves as Nigerians,” he wrote.
“This time, I not only drafted most of the words but also
had the incredible opportunity to provide their pronunciations! So, when you
explore the OED online and click on the pronunciations, you’ll hear my voice
bringing these words to life.”
Some of the words include 419, which means fraud, and
agbero, used to refer to a young man who works as a tout at car parks and bus
stops, collecting money from drivers, and ushering passengers onto vehicles.
Below are the new additions to the updated version of the
dictionary:
- 419, n.
- abi, adv.
- adire, adj. & n.
- agbero, n.
- area boy, n.
- cross-carpet, v.
- cross-carpeting, n.
- eba, n.
- Edo,
n. & adj./2
- gele, n./2
- jand, n.
- jand, v.
- janded, adj.
- japa, n.
- japa, v.
- Kanuri,
n. & adj.
- kobo, n./2
- Naija, adj. & n.
- suya, n.
- yahoo, n./2
- yahoo boy, n.
- yarn
dust, v.