Four New Pandemic-Related Words Added to the Dictionary

 

Merriam-Webster dictionary has added new words to its dictionary, an annual exercise.  This time four of the words are derived from the pandemic and conversation about it.

When I first saw the headline for this, I tried to guess what the words would be, and drew a blank. When I saw the list it was a forehead-slapper. Here they are:

  • breakthrough (medical). Infection occurring in someone who is fully vaccinated against an infectious agent — often used before another noun (as in “breakthrough cases” or “breakthrough infection”).
  • super-spreader. An event or location at which a significant number of people contract the same communicable disease — often used before another noun (as in a “super-spreader event”). The term super-spreader originally referred to a highly contagious person capable of passing on a disease to many others, and now can also refer to a single place or occasion where many others are infected.
  • long COVID. A condition that is marked by the presence of symptoms (such as fatigue, cough, shortness of breath, headache, or brain fog) which persist for an extended period of time (such as weeks or months) following a person's initial recovery from COVID-19 infection.
  • vaccine passport. A physical or digital document providing proof of vaccination against one or more infectious diseases (such as COVID-19).

I'm not sure "vaccine passport" is new.  That phrase was used by public health people before the pandemic. I know someone who has been researching it for some time.

I propose that next year they consider COVIDiot and mask-hole.

Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay 

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