Donald Trump bandies about the term “fake news” so much, it’s no surprise the Oxford English Dictionary is now recognizing it as an official word.
However, the OED doesn’t want the president to take credit for coining the term, which it says has been around for more than a century.
The OED announced the real news about “fake news” on Twitter Wednesday morning, and offered a bit of history to boot.
A notable entry in the October update to the OED is the term ‘fake news’.
— The OED (@OED) October 9, 2019
Although it was popularized in 2016 during the US presidential election campaign, did you know that 'fake news' can be dated back to 1890?
(1/3) pic.twitter.com/0SnPW23FMq
Having re-emerged in 2016, the widespread use of ‘fake news’ has contributed to the increasing usage of other ‘fake’ words, such as ‘fakeable’, ’fakement’, and ‘fakeness’.
— The OED (@OED) October 9, 2019
(2/3) pic.twitter.com/3Jx5ETdeSz
Other words that finally made the cut in the OED include “slam-dunk,” “promposal” and “circle jerk.”
Trump may have not coined “fake news,” but he’s continuing to add strange new words to his own personal dictionary, including his latest, “wirch.”
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