The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has expanded its vocabulary with the inclusion of several words rooted in Nigerian language and culture, underscoring the country’s growing impact on global English usage.
In its December 2025 update released on Wednesday, the dictionary introduced over 500 new words, expressions and meanings. The update also revised more than 1,000 existing entries and traced the origins of familiar terms such as “troll,” “coffee” and “snooker.”
OED editors said the latest additions draw from different varieties of English spoken around the world, including West African, Maltese, Japanese and South Korean English, reflecting the increasing global reach of these linguistic forms.
Among the newly recognised Nigerian expressions are popular everyday words and cultural references such as “nyash,” “abeg,” “biko,” “mammy market” and “Ghana Must Go,” as well as food items like “amala” and “moi moi.”
The update also features “Afrobeats,” which the dictionary defines as a genre of popular music that blends elements of West African rhythms with jazz, soul and funk.
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According to the OED, “abeg” functions as an interjection conveying emotions such as surprise, disbelief or frustration, while “biko,” borrowed from the Igbo language, is used to make polite requests or add emphasis, similar to “please.”
“Nyash” is described as a colloquial term referring to a person’s buttocks, particularly a woman’s, while “Ghana Must Go” is defined as the large, colourful, zippered plastic bags commonly used across West Africa. The name traces its history to the 1983 expulsion of undocumented Ghanaian migrants from Nigeria.
The term “mammy market” is recognised as a marketplace traditionally run by women, first associated with military barracks before spreading to youth service camps and educational institutions.
In the culinary category, “amala” is defined as a dough-like meal made from yam, cassava or unripe plantain flour, usually served with soups, while “moi moi” is described as a steamed dish made from blended beans, peppers and onions, with roots in Yoruba cuisine.
The December update builds on a similar expansion in January 2025, when the OED added 20 Nigerian words and expressions, further highlighting the influence of Nigerian English, Pidgin and street slang on the evolving global lexicon.
