The Oxford English Dictionary has updated its glossary with some Nigerian-originated words, including “mammy market,” “nyash,” and “amala.”
The December 2025 update, released on the OED website on Wednesday, features more than 500 new words, phrases, and tenses.
The latest update reflects the growing global influence of the nation’s language, culture, and cuisine.
Other Nigerian-originated words added to its wordbook include “moi moi,” “abeg,” “biko,” and “Ghana Must Go.”
Internet slang such as “DM”, “brainfart” and “chug” were also included.
Over 1,000 existing entries were also revised, while editors explored the histories of words such as “troll”, “coffee”, and “snooker”.
The update includes additions from varieties of English used around the world, including West African English, Maltese English, Japanese English, and South Korean English, with OED editors noting the growing global influence of these Englishes.
The update included “Afrobeats”, defined as “a style of popular music incorporating elements of West African music and of jazz, soul, and funk.”
The dictionary describes “abeg” as an interjection used to express contextually a range of emotions, such as surprise, exasperation, and disbelief.