The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has expanded its lexicon by adding several East African words and phrases in its September 2024 update, including ‘panya route’ and ‘kitu kidogo.’
The latest update, announced on Wednesday, features over 600 new words, phrases, and senses from various English dialects worldwide.
‘Panya route,’ derived partly from the Swahili word for "rat," has been added as a noun. It is “a secret path or roundabout route, especially one used for smuggling.”
Another Swahili phrase, ‘kitu kidogo,’ which translates to "something small," is now officially recognized as an English noun meaning “money offered or accepted as an inducement or bribe.”
Other notable additions in the update include ‘African massage,’ referring to the bumpy, jolting experience of traveling on rough African roads, and ‘Bantu knot,’ a hairstyle featuring sections of hair twisted into small, tight coils arranged in a pattern.
Words like ‘cheap ass,’ describing a stingy or miserly person, and ‘cheap-shit,’ meaning something of inferior quality, also cut. Additionally, ‘Dholuo,’ the language spoken by the Luo people of Kenya and Tanzania, has been added, further recognizing the rich linguistic diversity of East Africa.
“This update was especially busy, featuring words from Caribbean, Bermudian, East African, New Zealand, and Welsh English,” said Catherine Sangster, OED’s Head of Pronunciations.
The Oxford English Dictionary, published by Oxford University Press, is a principal historical dictionary of the English language, with its first edition dating back to 1884. This latest update follows a 2022 expansion, which included other common Kenyan words like ‘mpango wa kando,’ ‘chapo,’ ‘nyama choma,’ ‘githeri,’ ‘sheng,’ and many more.
With these new additions, the OED continues to reflect the evolving nature of the English language, which is influenced by diverse cultures and regions worldwide.
