It was even picked up by major news outlets and on television, including the series “Charmed” and on an episode of “The Daily Show.” Singer Katy Perry used misogynoir in a tweet of support for Black comedian Leslie Jones when she was the victim of an attack orchestrated by alt-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos. The natural evolution of ‘misogynoir’Īfter using the term misogynoir in the blog post, Bailey noticed other Black feminists were using it as well. If the word is one that Merriam-Webster editors decide is needed in the English language, it has a good chance of getting into the dictionary. The more the word spreads and becomes part of the American lexicon, the more likely it will be noticed by dictionary editors. The company says if you have a new word “use it.” Editors suggest dropping the word into your conversations and writing. Suggestions for new words are not accepted. Merriam-Webster says dictionary editors read actively, looking for changes in language. It’s not easy to have a word added to the dictionary. “Changes have to happen at the structural level of our society, not just the individual behaviors.” “The real root of misogynoir is how people perceive and treat Black women and understand them to be worthy of respect and care,” Bailey said. Bailey, who teaches in the department of communication studies, first used misogynoir in a 2010 posting to the Crunk Feminist Collective blog to describe the specific type of oppression that Black women experience often characterized by a combination of racism and sexism. Misogynoir brings together the words “misogyny” and “noir,” the latter meaning “black” in French. “ Misogynoir ” - the newest word included in Merriam-Webster’s dictionary - was coined by Northwestern’s School of Communication associate professor Moya Bailey. Merriam-Webster, the oldest dictionary publisher in the United States, estimates there are over a million words.

How many words are in the English language? No one truly knows.

A flesh and fire novel