How are new words formed?

The Oxford English Dictionary receives about 1,000 new additions each year. With over 170,000 words currently in use in the English language, it might seem we already have enough. But where do they come from, and how do they make it into our daily lives? However, as our world evolves, fresh concepts and innovations emerge, and science advances, there are gaps in the meanings of the words we currently use that we try to fill in as creatively, practically, and occasionally oddly as possible. To learn a word from a different language is one method. Over the course of its history, English has taken so many words from other languages that almost half of its vocabulary is foreign-language-derived.

Sometimes, this is due to the fact that the thing the word describes was itself borrowed. While trade brought crops and food like Arabic coffee, Italian spaghetti, and Indian curry to Medieval England, Rome and France introduced legal and religious concepts like the altar and jury. However, there are times when a word from a different language, such as naiveté machismo or schadenfreude, is the perfect fit for describing a complex idea or emotion. Additionally, when naming new ideas, scientists use classical languages. For instance, the word "clone," which refers to making a new plant from a piece of an old one, is derived from the Ancient Greek word for twig. The process is still in effect today, with English lending words to languages around the globe much like software. By combining existing words that each communicate a component of the new concept, you can also fill vocabulary gaps. This can be accomplished by joining two complete words to create a compound word, as in airport or starfish, or by chopping and fusing words, as in spork, brunch, or internet. These can frequently be understood the first time you hear them, unlike borrowings from other languages.

A new word may not always be entirely new. By taking on new meanings, obsolete words are given new life. Villain originally referred to a peasant farmer but, in a twist of aristocratic snobbery, came to mean someone who was not bound by the knightly code of chivalry and was, therefore, a bad person. A geek was once a carnival performer, then any strange person, and finally a particular kind of awkward genius. Other times, irony, metaphor, or misunderstanding cause words to mean the opposite, as when the words sick or wicked are used to describe something genuinely amazing. When scientists or businesses give an official name to a new invention or technology, the answer is frequently straightforward.

However, if words can be formed in all of these ways, why do some become commonplace while others fade away or never take off at all? Additionally, some nations have language academies that make decisions. But official sources like dictionaries typically only record the most recent usage. New words don't come from above; instead, they are spread by everyday people using words that are both meaningful and resonant. For example, sociobiologist Richard Dawkins used the Ancient Greek word for imitation to create the word "meme" in the 1970s. He used it to contrast the spread of genes within a population with the spread of ideas and symbols within a culture. With the development of the Internet, this process became clearly visible in the quick spread of jokes and images. The term soon started to be used to describe a particular kind of image. Meme is a word that describes how words enter the language as well as being a word in and of itself.

Autological is a term used to describe the phenomenon of words that describe themselves. There are variations among new words. Some survive for millennia, some change with the times, and others disappear. The process by which these words are created and travel to become a part of our speech reveals a lot about our world and how we interact with it. Some words relay information, while others interpret it.