The online Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is my go-to resource whenever I want to dive deeply into a word’s meaning.
Why?
Well, here’s one of several reasons: In their word usage sections, the OED is not afraid to use examples from Twitter.
For example, consider the recent word of the day “bakya, ” the Philippine English word for a backlash sandal.
Heres what it describes under adjective:
colloquial (derogatory). Lacking in refinement or sophistication; rural, rustic; lowbrow.
…2015 @MsSheenRiego 23 Oct. in twitter.com(accessed 9 July 2019) So some people say that watching Aldub is so bakya… So what?
OED
You see, I don’t believe the OED’s usage examples referencing Twitter are accidental. I believe it was a highly intentional, strategic decision.
I would even go so far as to say that about a decade ago there was a meeting in some book-lined office at the OED about using Twitter, and at that meeting there was a discussion about the dynamic nature of the English language and the necessity of considering a word’s Twitter usage for OED to remain relevant as one of the definitive sources for words.
Thank you, OED, for creating such a rich playground for people like me to explore the English language.