Gintònic, kebab, paparazzi: new words added to Catalan dictionary

Gintònic, kebab, esnifar (snort), paparazzi. 

It may sound like an ill-advised celebrity night out, but it's actually a list of new words added to the Catalan language in 2024.

The Institute of Catalan Studies (IEC) has updated the official Dictionary of the Catalan Language with 376 changes in 2024, specifically 87 new entries and 289 modifications or extensions.

Many of the new words are borrowed from other languages, including English, Spanish, and Italian, and more than a few are related to food and drink.

Some examples that will already be familiar to English-speakers include paparazzi, (normally used in the plural in English while the plural in Catalan is paparazzis), càtering, gintònic (gin and tonic), kebab, mantra, and tiramisú.

Other new additions include esnifar (to snort), autocaravana (caravan), criptogínia (the historical phenomenon of hiding female reference points) and xapata (ciabatta).

"Language evolves," the IEC's Magí Camps told the Catalan News Agency (ACN).

"We try to stay up to date as much as possible. We do not always succeed, but we try to introduce more and more words in order to respond to the linguistic needs of society."

The second edition of the Dictionary of the Catalan Language, the authoritative reference for the lexicon of Catalan, was published in 2007.

It is subject to periodic modifications, which, since 2020, have been twice a year.

In 2024, 216 changes were made in June, and 160 more in November.