‘Thx’ among latest words added to online Oxford dictionary

But ‘touchles,’ for example,might not be as intuitive. According to Oxford,the term refers to gesture-control devices such as Microsofts Kinect gaming accessory that uses a camera to interpret body motions for game-play.Still other entries might indeed have people turning to Oxford online to check definitions.

‘Cruft,’a new addition that means badly designed or unwanted software.Each new word and phrase added to Oxford goes through a fairly rigorous assessment,whether it began as a suggestion from the public or if the Oxford team itself suggested the word.If a proposed entry is used by just one segment of the population,like young teens,it’s disqualified.If its a trademark,it must have broader use,such as generic use as a verb.Oxford consults specialists when necessary,and the dictionaries editors review proposed entries.Those that make the cut are added to the online dictionary,and later,to printed versions.