From "dude" to "legit," these terms and sayings date back much farther than you might realize.

The American Dialect Society announces the "word of the year" next week. Word scholars and the general public can submit "word" nominations anytime before Jan. 6. Linguist Ben Zimmer talks to Renee ...

The Word of the Year is one that is rarely spoken. The word “hashtag” — the act of using a pound sign (#) followed by a word or phrase to tag a message on Twitter — was dubbed “Word of the Year 2012” ...

As with any generation, Gen Alpha has its own lexicon of what’s cool and what’s not, and they’re letting everyone older than ...

I’m guessing that I’m not such as old a dog as I think — I’ve been learning some new tricks! But … they’re the same old tricks, only different. Language, for example. Lately, I’ve had cause to look ...

Occupy Wall Street was undeniably one of the biggest news stories of 2011. The movement was an important factor in “The Protestor” being named Time Magazine’s 2011 Person of the Year. Well, the ...

This month, Slate is republishing some of our favorite stories. Here’s today’s selection: Matthew J.X. Malady’s Good Word columns were a delight for dedicated linguists and word dabblers alike. This ...

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Pluto is finally getting some respect – not from astronomers, but from wordsmiths. “Plutoed” was chosen 2006’s Word of the Year by the American Dialect Society at its annual meeting ...