The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has expanded its lexicon to include new African words and expressions in its latest update, published in December 2025 and incorporated into 2026. The update, shared by the OED on Wednesday via X, features commonly used Nigerian and West African terms linked to food, music, everyday speech, markets, and pop culture, highlighting the growing influence of African languages on global English.
According to the OED, the December 2025 update adds more than 500 new words, phrases, and senses, while also revising over 1,000 existing entries as part of its quarterly review. Catherine Sangster, OED Head of Pronunciations, said the update also marks a milestone in how pronunciations are recorded and presented across different varieties of English. The dictionary introduced a new model for transcribing Maltese English pronunciations and expanded its audio pronunciation features, including fresh recordings for several West African English entries.
Among the newly added words is abeg, defined as an interjection or adverb “to express a range of emotions, such as surprise, exasperation, disbelief, etc.” Another addition is amala, a Nigerian food staple described as “a kind of dough made of yam, cassava, or unripe plantain flour, typically formed into a ball and served as an accompaniment to other dishes.” These inclusions reflect the OED’s ongoing effort to capture the dynamic evolution of English worldwide.