Words define us and explain the events of our generation. Such is the case with the current Coronavirus.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary recently added the word COVID-19. It took one month from conception to formal recognition, the fastest in the company’s nearly 200-year history. This wasn’t the only new word included in the dictionary because of the virus.
Usually, new words are added only after years of generally accepted use. But now, practically overnight, an entirely new vocabulary has developed.
Life may never be the same because of the virus, and that goes for our language. Here are some of the newest additions to our lexicon.
Continue reading “The Language of a Pandemic”