Oxford Dictionary Adds Danfo, Okada, Mama Put, 26 Other Nigerian Words, Expressions

English as a global language, it is now official that a total of 29 Nigerian words and expressions have been added to arguably the world’s most popular English dictionary.

In a release note on Oxford English Dictionary (OED)’s official blog, it said the words were incorporated into the dictionary in recognition of Nigerians’ “unique and distinctive contribution to English as a global language”.

According to the release, “By taking ownership of English and using it as their own medium of expression, Nigerians have made, and are continuing to make, a unique and distinctive contribution to English as a global language.

“We highlight their contributions in this month’s update of the Oxford English Dictionary, as a number of Nigerian English words make it into the dictionary for the first time.

“The majority of these new additions are either borrowings from Nigerian languages, or unique Nigerian coinages that have only begun to be used in English in the second half of the twentieth century, mostly in the 1970s and 1980s,” OED said.

The Oxford English Dictionary has recognized Nigerians’ ownership of the English language, and several of our words like danfo, a Yoruba word for yellow mini-buses conveying passengers across Lagos and Okada, a word for a commercial motorcycle, have made it into the dictionary for the first time

See the new entries as highlighted below:

Agric, adj. & n

Barbing salon, n

Buka, n

Bukateria, n

Chop, v./6

Chop-chop, n./2

Danfo, n

To eat money, in eat, v

Ember months, n

Flag-off, n

To flag off in flag, v

Gist, n./3

Gist, v./2

Guber, adj

Kannywood, n

K-leg, n

Mama put, n

Next tomorrow, n. & adv

Non-indigene, adj. & n

Okada, n

To put to bed, in put, v

Qualitative, adj

To rub minds (together) in rub, v./1

Sef, adv

Send-forth, n

Severally, adv

Tokunbo, adj

Zone, v

Zoning, .