The Digest:
The Oxford English Dictionary has included several Nigerian-originated words like “mammy market,” “amala,” and “abeg” in its December 2025 update. The addition reflects the global influence of Nigerian English and culture, proof that language, like identity, expands one word at a time.
Key Points:
- The OED update added over 500 new words and phrases.
- Nigerian entries include “moi moi,” “biko,” and “Ghana Must Go.”
- “Afrobeats” was defined as a popular music style.
- “Nyash” was included as slang for buttocks.
- “Mammy market” describes markets often run by women.
- The update also revised over 1,000 existing entries.
- This follows a 2025 update that added “japa” and “agbero.”
Language is not static; it travels, adapts, and claims space in global lexicons. With each added word, Nigerian culture finds new resonance worldwide: proof that language, like identity, expands one word at a time.
Sources: Channels Television, Oxford English Dictionary
