Oxford English Dictionary Upgrades, Includes 20 Nigerian Terms In Its Latest Edition

In its most recent edition, the Oxford English Dictionary included 20 Nigerian words and idioms in its list of terms.

BrandSpur Nigeria news today reports that popular terms like “japa,” “agbero,” “eba,” “419,” and “abi” are among the recently added entries. These terms, which are ingrained in Nigerians’ daily lives, demonstrate the impact of street slang, Pidgin English, and cultural expressions that are becoming more and more well-known worldwide.

Notably, the dictionary lists some of the words as both nouns and verbs, such as “japa” and “jand.” To help non-Nigerians pronounce the words correctly, pronunciation guides have also been included.

Kingsley Ugwuanyi, a Nigerian English consultant to the Oxford English Dictionary, shared the news on LinkedIn on Tuesday. He said he was excited to have contributed to the word draughting and pronunciation recording.

The Nigerian English Consultant penned: “I’m thrilled to announce that the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) Oxford Languages | OUP has officially published its latest updates, featuring an amazing collection of Nigerian English words that beautifully reflect Nigeria’s culture, creativity, and the unique ways we express ourselves as Nigerians.

“This time, I not only drafted most of the words but also had the incredible opportunity to provide their hashtag#pronunciations! So, when you explore the OED online and click on the pronunciations, you’ll hear my hashtag#voice bringing these words to life. Among the entries, “japa” is defined as “the emigration of Nigerians to other countries (esp. those in Europe or North America) in search of further education, employment, or economic opportunity,” he added.

Continuing, he revealed: “Agbero” is described as “a person (usually a boy or young man) who works as a tout, typically at car parks and bus stops, collecting money from passengers and drivers, and ushering passengers onto vehicles.”

The definition of “419,” which is well-known in Nigeria, is “fraud (now typically committed online) involving requests for advance payment in exchange for a sizeable portion of a large sum of money that is ultimately never given.” often as a modifier, such as in 419 scams, 419 emails, etc. Refer to Yahoo n.2.

The full list of Nigerian words that have been added to the Oxford English Dictionary is as follows:

Also read: https://brandspurng.com/2025/01/10/punch-christian-mrs-tunde-obe-executive-director-business-development-and-innovation/

1. Japa (noun, verb)

2. yahoo boy

3. Adire

4. Agbero

5. Area boy

6. Kanuri

7. Cross-carpeting

8. Eba

9. Edo

10. Gele

11. jand (noun, verb)

12. janded (adjective)

13. 419

14. Cross-carpet

15. Kobo

16. Naija

17. Suya

18. Yahoo

19. Abi

20. Yarn Dust