'Bootylicious' Shakes Up OED

By Meg McCaffrey -- School Library Journal, 11/1/2004

Bootylicious, a term that originated in a Destiny's Child song, will appear in the revised, third edition of the Oxford English Dictionary Online (www.OED.com). The entry, which refers to a sexually attractive and shapely woman, is just one of more than 2,000 new and revised terms recently added to the resource. (See www.oed.com/help/updates/latest-additions.html.)

Every three months, lexicographers add thousands of words and updated definitions to the online reference tool. Other new entries include will-call, Atkins, Tex-Mex, SUV, FEMA, and botox, which is both a noun and a verb. Bootylicious is an adjective, not to be confused with babelicious, another adjective. Existing entries, such as decompress, contagion, hone, and heaven, now include additional definitions. Asymmetrical warfare and biological invader are a sample of the words that the war on terrorism has added to our language.

While some terms are not meant for a child's vocabulary, another new feature of the OED is perfect for kids. Appearing on the top right corner of every page, "Lost for Words" is a new online tool that clues patrons in to an array of interesting words, even if they're not looking for anything in particular. Another welcome feature is the OED's new price. Subscribers will save $64 off the annual subscription rate, which is currently $295. Monthly subscriptions are now available at a fee of $29.95.