Covid-19, WFH enter the Oxford English Dictionary

Hyderabad: The word ‘Covid-19’ has entered the Oxford dictionary. The definitive record of English language has released its 2020 list featuring 12 new words, mostly revolving around the coronavirus pandemic.

Categorising it under the new entries, the Oxford has defined Covid-19 as ‘An acute respiratory illness in humans caused by coronavirus, which is capable of producing severe symptoms and death, especially in the elderly.’

Under the same category, social isolation, social distancing,

self-quarantine, self-isolation get a definition. The dictionary has also elaborated the meaning of these words when used in different parts of speech like self-isolated, self-quarantined.

For instance, when ‘self-quarantine’ is used as a verb, it is defined as: Intransitive and transitive (reflexive): Self-imposed isolation in order to avoid catching or transmitting an infection of disease.

Whereas self- quarantined as an adjective is “Self-imposed isolation undertaken in order to avoid catching or transmitting an infectious disease, or as part of a community initiative to inhibit.”

The category under new sub-entry features ‘to flatten the CURVE’. The Oxford has defined it as, “To take measures designed to reduce the rate at which infection spreads during an epidemic, with the aim of lowering the peak daily number of new cases and extending the period over which new cases occur.”

The dictionary updates its pages every four months, and this time a few medical related words have found their way into it. They include personal protective (or protection). Interestingly, ‘work from home’ that millions shifted too got a definition.

New entries in Oxford dictionary

1. Covid-19, n.: “An acute respiratory illness in humans caused by a coronavirus, which is capable of producing severe symptoms and death, esp. in the elderly and
2. WFH n. : “working (or work) from home, either as a regular or permanent alternative to office work or on an occasional or temporary basis.”
3. social recession n. (at SOCIAL adj. and n.): “a period of widespread deterioration in quality of life among members of a community, especially due to reduced interactions and weakened social bonds.”
4. ·R0, n.: “The average number of cases of an infectious disease arising by transmission from a single-infected individual, in a population that has not…”
5. infodemic, n.: “A proliferation of diverse, often unsubstantiated information relating to a crisis, controversy, or event, which disseminates rapidly.