The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has expanded its glossary to include several words of Nigerian origin, reflecting the growing global influence of Nigeria’s language, culture, and cuisine.
In its December 2025 update, the dictionary introduced more than 500 new words, phrases, and grammatical forms. Among the Nigerian expressions added are mammy market, nyash, amala, moi moi, abeg, biko, and Ghana Must Go.
The update also featured popular internet slang such as DM, brainfart, and chug, while over 1,000 existing entries were revised. Editors further explored the historical evolution of words like troll, coffee, and snooker.
According to the dictionary’s editors, the latest update draws from different varieties of English spoken across the world, including West African English, Maltese English, Japanese English, and South Korean English, highlighting their increasing global relevance.
Among the new additions is Afrobeats, defined as a style of popular music that blends elements of West African music with jazz, soul, and funk. The word abeg is described as an interjection used to convey emotions such as surprise, disbelief, or exasperation, while biko, originally from the Igbo language, is defined as a polite expression meaning “please.”
The term nyash is defined as a person’s buttocks, while Ghana Must Go refers to the large, colourful, chequered plastic bags commonly used across West Africa, a name that traces its origins to the 1983 mass expulsion of undocumented Ghanaian migrants from Nigeria.
Mammy market is recognised as a market typically run by women, originally located in military barracks and later found in youth service camps and educational institutions. In the food category, amala is defined as a dough made from yam, cassava, or unripe plantain flour, while moi moi is described as a steamed bean pudding prepared from ground beans mixed with peppers and onions.
Earlier in January 2025, the dictionary had also added several Nigerian words and expressions, further underscoring the growing impact of Nigerian English, Pidgin, and street slang on global vocabulary.
