It is a colossal project that began in 1986. After nearly 40 years of work, the French Academy finally unveils the fourth volume of the ninth edition of its dictionary. This latest volume, which covers the letters R to Z, introduces more than 21,000 new words. “Immortals” offers an update that reflects the social, cultural and technological upheavals of recent decades.
Also discover: “Fast-fashion”, “masculinist”, “Beyoncé”… here are the new words which are entering the Petit Larousse 2025 dictionary
Evolution too slow?
Among the additions are words that reflect contemporary concerns, such as “zadism” to designate an activist opposing a development project, or “wokism”, an ideology born in the United States which promotes the fight against discrimination. Terms linked to current lifestyles are also integrated, such as “teleworking”, which has become essential since the pandemic, or “vegan”, which describes a lifestyle excluding any products of animal origin. The Academy has also updated its lexicon with terms like “vibrator” or “slam”, but also words from world gastronomy, like “risotto” and “sushi”. The main progress of this new edition comes from the feminization of certain professions. The French Academy, for example, has included terms like “winemaker” or “caregiver”. Many observers, however, deplore modernization that is too slow and point out that some of the added words already seem dated and far from the vocabulary of younger generations. For its part, the French Academy assumes a vision of language that it wants to be both respectful of history and open to developments. A work to leaf through… or to click, since everything is now available for free online.
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