You can find out which words were added to the dictionary in the year you were born - here’s how

Language has a way of evolving over time. A phrase used 100 years ago may never be used now, or perhaps the context of a word has changed. As slang makes its way into popular vernacular, you might find yourself wondering when certain words first made their debut. Now, dictionary Merriam-Webster has created a way for you to find out the words which first appeared in print during your birth year. The tool was actually launched a few years ago, but Merriam-Webster recently tweeted about the feature, bringing it back to the public spotlight. The dictionary company tweeted, “Which words first appeared in print the year you were born? Time travel with us.” How do I use it? To use the ‘time traveller’ feature, simply go to the Merriam-Webster website and select your year of birth. From there, the website will show you all the words which first appeared in the dictionary that year. You can scroll down and see words from previous years, too. From ‘bestie’ to ‘cybersex’ People have been amazed to see which words were introduced during their year of birth, sharing the results on Twitter. One wrote, “So glad to be born in 1991, the year of ‘bestie’, ‘zoodle’ and ‘cybersex’.” “Imagine my surprise checking 1968,” wrote another, attaching a screenshot of their results which includes the word ‘coronavirus’. Someone else tweeted, “Stink eye. And poo. Those two words alone are pretty much the story of my life.”