Technology Terms Dominate 2014 Dictionary Additions

It's definitely a sign of the times when technology terms make up the majority of words added to the dictionary this year.   Of the more than 150 additions to the Merriam-Webster publication, here are twenty that got our attention:

Auto-Tune - to adjust or alter (a recording of a voice) with Auto-Tune software or other audio-editing software esp. to correct sung notes that are out of tune.

Baby bump - the enlarged abdomen of a pregnant woman.

Big data - an accumulation of data that is too large and complex for processing by traditional database management tools.

Catfish - a person who sets up a false personal profile on a social networking site for fraudulent or deceptive purposes.

Crowdfunding - the practice of soliciting financial contributions from a large number of people especially from the online community.

Dubstep - a type of electronic dance music having prominent bass lines and syncopated drum patterns.

E-waste - waste consisting of discarded electronic products such as computers, televisions, and cell phones.

Fangirl - a girl or woman who is an extremely or overly enthusiastic fan of someone or something.

Fracking - the injection of fluid into shale beds at high pressure in order to free up petroleum resources such as oil or natural gas.

Freegan - an activist who scavenges for free food, as in waste receptacles at stores and restaurants, as a means of reducing consumption of resources.

Gamification - the process of adding game or game-like elements to something, such as a task, so as to encourage participation.

Hashtag - a word or phrase preceded by the symbol # that clarifies or categorizes the accompanying text such as a tweet.

Hot spot - a place where a wireless Internet connection is available.

Selfie -  an image of oneself taken by oneself using a digital camera especially for posting on social networks.

Social networking - the creation and maintenance of personal and business relationships especially online.

Spoiler alert - a reviewer’s warning that a plot spoiler is about to be revealed.

Steampunk - science fiction dealing with 19th-century societies dominated by historical or imagined steam-powered technology.

Turducken - a boneless chicken stuffed into a boneless duck stuffed into a boneless turkey.

Tweep - a person who uses the Twitter online message service to send and receive tweets.

Yooper - a native or resident of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan — used as a nickname.

Now, write a paragraph using as many of these new words as you possibly can!