Tag: neologisms

In linguistics, a neologism (; also known as a coinage) is any newly formed word, term, or phrase that has achieved popular or institutional recognition and is accepted into mainstream language. Most definitively, a word can be considered a neologism once it is published in a dictionary.

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 still not mainstream; and a neologism has become accepted or recognized by social institutions.

Neologisms are often driven by changes in culture and technology. Popular examples of neologisms can be found in science, technology, fiction (notably science fiction), films and television, commercial branding, literature, jargon, cant, linguistics, the visual arts, and popular culture.

Examples of words that were 20th-century neologisms include laser (1960), an acronym of light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation; robot (1921) from Czech writer Karel Čapek's play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots); and agitprop (1930; a portmanteau of Russian "agitatsiya" (agitation) and "propaganda").