It's the Word of the Day podcast for March 22nd.

Today's word is Neologism, spelled N-E-O-L-O-G-I-S-M.

Neologism is a noun. It can refer either to a new word or expression or to a new meaning

of an existing word. Here's the word used in a sentence from Harper's. Undertakers refashioned

themselves as funeral directors over the span of a few decades in the early 20th century. The new

generation of morticians, another

neologism meant to conjure expertise, bought up shambling Victorian mansions in Swiss

residential districts and invented a new form of comfort. The English language is constantly

picking up neologisms. In recent decades, for example, social media

has added a number of new terms to the language. Finsta, Riz, influencer, meme, and doom scroll

are just a few examples of modern-day neologisms that have been integrated into American English.

The word neologism was itself a brand new coinage in the

latter half of the 18th century when English speakers borrowed the French term neologism, meaning both

the habit of forming new words and a newly formed word. The French term, which comes from neologi,

meaning coining of new words, comprises familiar elements.

We recognize our own neo with various meanings relating to what is new as in neoclassical,

and loji, L-O-G-Y, meaning oral or written expression, as in trilogy.

With your word of the day, I'm Peter Sokolowski.

Visit Miriamwebster.com today for definitions, wordplay, and trending word lookups.