neologism
Sign in to saveIn linguistics, a neologism (, ; also known as a coinage) is any newly formed word, term, or phrase that has gained popular or institutional recognition and is becoming accepted into mainstream language.
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A neologism is a newly created word, term, or phrase that has become popular enough to be recognized and accepted by the mainstream. It matters because it reflects how language evolves and adapts to express new ideas, technologies, and cultural changes that speakers and institutions feel are important to name.
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16 sectionsContents
- Examples
- 19th century (and earlier)
- 20th century (and later)
- Background
- History and meaning
- Literature
- Scientific literature
- Cant
- Popular culture
- Translations
- Other uses
- As a symptom
- In social media
- See also
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- External links
In linguistics, a neologism (, ; also known as a coinage) is any newly formed word, term, or phrase that has gained popular or institutional recognition and is becoming accepted into mainstream language.
Neologisms are one facet of lexical innovation, i.e., the linguistic process of new terms and meanings entering a language's lexicon. The most precise studies into language change and word formation, in fact, identify the process of a "neological continuum": a nonce word is any single-use term that may or may not grow in popularity; a protologism is such a term used exclusively within a small group; a prelogism is such a term that is gaining usage but is still not mainstream; and a neologism has become accepted or recognized by social institutions.