The Oxford English Dictionary has added new words and phrases in a recent update. They have been mostly inspired by the coronavirus outbreak including “elbow bump”, “social distancing” and “self-isolation”. However, some of the new entries can be dated back to earlier epidemics like swine flu, SARS and even AIDS back in the 80s. An entry in the OED means that a word or phrase is officially recognised as being part of the English language.
