dirty wellness noun [U]
UK /ˌdɜː.ti ˈwel.nəs/ US /ˌdɝː.t̬i ˈwel.nəs/
activities that involve being outside in nature and getting dirty, thought to be good for people’s physical and mental health

When I first heard about “dirty wellness,” a philosophy that espouses leaving our sanitized, hermetically sealed existence behind and reconnecting with good old-fashioned bacteria-laden dirt, I wanted to try it without really knowing what it entailed. It sounded fanciful and fun.
[arlingtonmagazine.com, 6 October 2022]

sensehacking noun [U]
/ˈsens.hæk.ɪŋ/
the activity of stimulating all five senses in order to become happier and healthier

Sensehacking — a big wellbeing trend for 2023 — highlights the crucial role that senses play in our everyday lives. Our senses can change how we feel almost instantly, so this trend is all about becoming happier and more productive by “hacking” our senses … Simply put, sensehacking means using the power of our senses to improve our mood.
[redonline.co.uk, 15 December 2022]

disease X noun [C usually singular]
/dɪˌziːz ˈeks/
a currently unknown virus or bacterium that has the potential to cause a serious epidemic

Disease X. It’s an ominous concept. A mysterious and dangerous pathogen that we don’t know, but we do know is out there – waiting to make a deadly jump from an animal or bird into an unsuspecting person, and take off on a viral killing spree.
[telegraph.co.uk, 25 January 2023]

About new words

breadflation noun [U]
/bredˈfleɪ.ʃᵊn/
a continuous increase in the price of bread

While prices are going up just about everywhere, a few items tend to stand out more than others. Enter “breadflation”. The average per-pound price of white bread in the U.S. has surged more than 25% since the pandemic began. And premium loaves of bread are selling for as much as $10.
[hits961.iheart.com, 22 July 2022]

nearshoring noun [U]
UK /ˈnɪə.ʃɔː.rɪŋ/ US /ˈnɪr.ʃɔːr.ɪŋ/
the practice of operating a business or part of a business in a nearby country, usually because this involves paying less tax or other costs but is still close enough to be convenient

A very similar process to offshoring, nearshoring involves employing teams in neighboring countries. These are usually territories within three time zones of your home country. For example, a Central European company that seeks cheaper technical skills from Eastern Europe … Nearshoring is seen as the middle ground between offshoring and onshoring. You can benefit from reduced costs for skilled workers while avoiding the communication issues that come with offshoring.
[futureofsourcing.com, 17 December 2022]

recommerce noun [U]
UK /ˌriːˈkɒm.ɜːs/ US /ˌriːˈkɑː.mɝːs/
the practice of buying and selling used goods online, usually on websites created for this purpose

Because recommerce revolves around buying and purchasing second-hand products, it leaves a positive impact on the environment. Now more than ever, consumers are buying more products but keeping them for a shorter amount of time, which causes concern for an increasing amount of discarded textiles in landfills each year. The recommerce space helps avoid this by encouraging the recycling of clothing and other products to consumers.
[whiplash.com, 20 October 2022]

About new words

resilience hub noun [C]
/rɪˈzɪl.jəns ˌhʌb/
a place in a city where someone can go during a heatwave to access air conditioning, get water, use the internet etc.

Cities around the world are adopting various measures to deal with the threat of heatwaves, which are increasing in frequency and severity, and put old and infirm people at particular risk. Resilience hubs are designated buildings—or, in some cases, pods made from shipping containers—within a community that provide air-conditioned places of refuge with drinking water, internet access and phone-charging facilities.
[economist.com, 14 November 2022]

doughnut city noun [C]
UK /ˈdəʊ.nʌt ˌsɪt.i/ US /ˈdoʊ.nʌt ˌsɪt̬.i/
a city where most people live in the outskirts and the city centre does not have many amenities such as shops, restaurants etc

When the proportion of teleworking becomes sufficiently large, our gentrified city turns into a doughnut city, as skilled workers abandon their central homes in search of more affordable suburban options. The unskilled workers, still doing all work onsite, relocate to the central neighbourhoods.
[cepr.org, 6 December 2022]

zoom town noun [C]
/ˈzuːm ˌtaʊn/
a town in which a large number of residents work remotely

The term “zoom town” is a play on the old term boomtown, which referred to towns and cities that experienced large growth due to oil discovery. The “zoom” in zoom town refers to the virtual conferencing software, Zoom, which many remote workers use. So instead of oil, zoom towns are communities growing due to increased remote work opportunities.
[rocketmortgage.com, 23 November 2022]

About new words

social omnivore noun [C]
UK /ˌsəʊ.ʃəl ˈɒm.nɪ.vɔːʳ/ US /ˌsoʊ.ʃəl ˈɑːm.nɪ.vɔːr/
a person who never eats meat at home but sometimes eats it when in a restaurant or at someone else’s house

Levy is part of a growing number of people who seek a middle ground. They’re social omnivores—vegetarian at home but sometimes partake in meat when out with friends and family. It’s different from following vague flexitarian or reducetarian principles, which both eschew clear-cut rules in favor of generally prioritizing plants over animals. Social omnivores, on the other hand, have one very clear boundary: They don’t buy or cook meat at home.
[bonappetit.com, 4 January 2023]

sustainatarian noun [C]
UK /səˌsteɪn.ɪˈteə.ri.ən/ US /səˌsteɪn.əˈter.i.ən/
a person who only eats food that has been produced in a way that causes little or no damage to the environment, and usually very little meat or fish

Sustainatarians orient their diet towards reducing food waste as well as reducing consumption of animal products, according to Vox. Sustainatarians might eat homegrown vegetables, or even hunt overpopulated animals for food using humane and sustainable methods rather than buy factory-farmed meat from the grocery store.
[tastingtable.com, 2 February 2023]

regenivore noun [C]
UK /ˌrɪˈdʒen.ɪ.vɔːʳ/ US /ˌrɪˈdʒen.ə.vɔːr/
a person who tries to actively stop or reverse the damage being done to the environment through the foods they choose to buy and eat

In addition to environmental concerns, regenivores take a big-picture view of the landscapes where food is grown, how livestock is raised, and how the people who produce and harvest food are treated … And when you consider the many threats facing planet earth, it’s easy to see why regenivores are growing in number.
[thedailymeal.com, 28 December 2022]

About new words

Palentine’s Day noun [C, usually singular]
/ˈpæl.ən.taɪnz ˌdeɪ/
a day, usually 13 February, when friends celebrate their relationship by exchanging gifts and cards in the same way that people in a romantic relationship do on Valentine’s Day

Looking to gain points this year for being the best mate ever? Check out this guide for the best food-related gifts to give this Palentine’s Day. We’re not one for subjecting you guys to something you don’t want to celebrate, which is why we’ve taken it upon ourselves to curate a guide filled with food-related gifts that you could present to your best mate instead, for Palentine’s.
[mob.co.uk, 3 February 2023]

friendsumé noun [C]
UK /ˈfrendz.juː.meɪ/ US /ˈfrendz.ə.meɪ/
a short written description of your personal details, interests etc. that you post online when you are trying to find new friends

Maddison, a 23-year-old photographer, was one of the first to create a friendsumé back in February of this year, posting it to FB group Truly Twenties. On a pale pink and very put-together page, she rattled off her fave TV shows, films and food, alongside a list of her chosen skills. To top it off, she added the tongue-in-cheek caption: “This is my application to be your friend.”
[ca.movies.yahoo.com, 31 March 2023]

situationship noun [C]
/ˌsɪtʃ.uˈeɪ.ʃᵊn.ʃɪp/
a relationship between two people that is more than a friendship but not a fully committed romantic relationship

Being in a situationship is all the rage now! Less than a relationship and more than a friendship, situationships are neither here nor there. People might be in situationships during the first few dates when they are just getting to know each other. However, many situationships last longer, with both sides preferring to go with the flow instead of putting a label on the relationship.
[stylecraze.com, 7 February 2023]

About new words

gamevertising noun [U]
UK /ˈgeɪm.və.taɪ.zɪŋ/ US /ˈgeɪm.vɚ.taɪ.zɪŋ/
a way of advertising a product by making it appear in a computer game

The simplest way of gamevertising is to insert a product in the background of an already existing game. Gamevertising can drive revenue both inside and outside a game. It’s a friendly, non-intrusive way to advertise products, and its highly integrated nature means that players don’t feel burdened by the interruption of an ad.
[geektime.com, 1 January 2023]

AIgiarism noun [U]
UK /ˌeɪˈaɪ.dʒᵊr.ɪ.zᵊm/ US /ˌeɪˈaɪ.dʒɚ.ɪ.zᵊm/
the process or practice of using AI (= artificial intelligence) tools to write essays or answer exam questions and pretending that it is your own work

With fears in academia growing about a new AI chatbot that can write convincing essays – even if some facts it uses aren’t strictly true – the Silicon Valley firm behind a chatbot released last month are racing to “fingerprint” its output to head off a wave of “AIgiarism” – or AI-assisted plagiarism.
[theguardian.com, 31 December 2022]

millennial pause noun [C, U]
UK /mɪˌlen.i.əl ˈpɔːz/ US /mɪˌlen.i.əl ˈpɑːz/
a very short pause before someone starts speaking on a video they are recording for social media to make sure the camera is recording, said to be a common practice among millennials (= people born between around 1981 and 1996)

Recently, I came across an article by Kate Lindsay in The Atlantic about a term called the “millennial pause,” a generational nuance online … It refers to a split-second beat at the beginning of a video to ensure the camera is recording before speaking. It’s a moment you could easily miss, but once you’re onto it, the millennial pause becomes glaringly obvious in all millennial-made content.
[chatterblast.com, 22 September 2022]

About new words

green comet noun [C]
UK /ˌgriːn ˈkɒm.ɪt / US /ˌgriːnˈkɑː.mɪt/
a type of comet (= an object that moves around the sun that is seen on rare occasions from the earth as a bright line in the sky) that has a green glow because of radiation from the sun

A green comet that will be visible from Earth for the first time since the Ice Age appears to be undergoing unusual changes. Comet ZTF has created excitement in recent weeks as it has hurtled towards Earth, coming close enough to the planet that it should be visible to the naked eye. It will be the first close approach for 50,000 years, and will reach its closest point on 1 February.
[independent.co.uk, 21 January 2023]

green gentrification noun [U]
UK /ˌgriːn ˌdʒen.trɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən / US /ˌgriːn ˌdʒen.trə.fəˈkeɪ.ʃən/
the process by which a place changes from being a poor area to a richer one because measures taken to make the area more environmentally friendly have made it a more desirable place to live and have caused house prices etc. to increase

As neighborhoods become greener, they also become more attractive… and more expensive. In several cities around the world, neighborhoods that have benefited from environmental greening are becoming an object of desire among real estate professionals, who raise the price of housing, thus attracting a new, wealthier segment of the population. This process is called “green gentrification.”
[forbesindia.com, 28 September 2022]

green noise noun [U]
/ˌgriːn ˈnɔɪz/
a mixture of sounds or electrical signals that resembles sounds heard in nature, such as waterfalls or rustling leaves, and is thought to help people to relax

“Green noise is a variation of white noise in the middle of the spectrum,” sleep expert Martin Seeley says. “But as its name suggests, many of the sounds are what we would consider nature. Some great examples of green noise can be the sound of water on a beach, or trickling waterfalls – anything that is attuned to nature and promotes relaxation.”
[glamourmagazine.co.uk, 10 December 2022]

About new words

denim archaeologist noun [C]
UK /ˌden.ɪm ˌɑː.kiˈɒl.ə.dʒɪst/ US /ˌden.ɪm ˌɑːr.kiˈɑː.lə.dʒɪst/
someone whose job is to find and study old items of clothing made from denim

A pair of Levi’s jeans from the 1880s has sold at an auction in a small town in New Mexico for more than $87,000. The jeans – found in an abandoned mine by a “denim archaeologist” – were bought by 23-year-old Kyle Hautner and Zip Stevenson, a veteran of the vintage denim market.
[edition.cnn.com, 13 October 2022]

digital removalist noun [C]
UK /ˌdɪdʒ.ɪ.tᵊl rɪˈmuː.vᵊl.ɪst/ US /ˌdɪdʒ.ə.t̬ᵊl rɪˈmuː.vᵊl.ɪst/
someone whose job is to remove any content from a person’s social media posts that may harm their reputation

Social media, viral posts, and the complexity of the Internet make it difficult to delete embarrassing public and private moments that make their way online. Jon Brodsky, a manager at finder.com, says Generation Z is growing up without the awareness of the consequences that can come from a regretful digital footprint. “As this generation starts to enter the workforce, digital removalists will be in high demand to erase anything incriminating that could impact their future opportunities.”
[rd.com, 2 December 2022]

parastronaut noun [C]
UK /pærˈæs.trə.nɔːt/ US /pærˈæs.trə.nɑːt/
a person with a physical disability who has been trained to travel in space

The European Space Agency made history last week with the announcement of the first “parastronaut”, 41-year-old UK citizen John McFall. He is the first candidate selected for the Parastronaut Feasibility project, described by ESA as a “serious, dedicated and honest attempt to clear the path to space for a professional astronaut with a physical disability”.
[theconversation.com, 1 December 2022]

About new words