The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has added several Nigerian-origin words in its latest update, reflecting the growing global influence of the nation’s language, culture, and cuisine.
The December 2025 update, released on the OED website on Wednesday, introduced over 500 new words, phrases, and senses, including internet slang such as “DM,” “brainfart,” and “chug.” Over 1,000 existing entries were also revised, with editors exploring the histories of words like “troll,” “coffee,” and “snooker.”
The update features additions from varieties of English used worldwide, including West African English, Maltese English, Japanese English, and South Korean English. OED editors noted the increasing global influence of these Englishes.
Among the Nigerian entries are everyday expressions, slang, and food items, including:
- Nyash – a person’s (especially a woman’s) buttocks.
- Mammy Market – a market typically run by women, originally found in military barracks, later also in youth service camps and educational institutions.
- Amala – a staple dish made from yam, cassava, or unripe plantain flour, usually formed into a ball and served with other dishes.
- Moi Moi – a dish of ground beans mixed with peppers, onions, and dried ingredients.
- Abeg – an interjection expressing emotions like surprise, exasperation, or disbelief.
- Biko – an Igbo word used as a polite request or to add emphasis or urgency.
- Ghana Must Go – a large, chequered, zippered plastic bag, widely used in West Africa, tracing back to the 1983 expulsion of undocumented Ghanaian migrants from Nigeria.
Also recognised was Afrobeats, defined as “a style of popular music incorporating elements of West African music and of jazz, soul, and funk.”
The inclusion of these words highlights the growing global impact of Nigerian English, Pidgin, and street slang, and underscores how cultural expressions from Nigeria are shaping international vocabulary.
