‘Jeggings’ is totally a word! Merriam Webster says so!

Gone are the days when you have to struggle to explain to your mom, boyfriend, girlfriend, dog the miraculous comfort of jeggings. Now, you can point them to Merriam-Webster’s unabridged online dictionary instead. Because, sister friends, “jeggings” is officially a word.

The newest update of Merriam-Webster added about 1,700 new entries, and most of these brand-spanking new words come from our home: The Internet. “WTF,” “click bait,” “NSFW,” and “emoji” all make the cut, as well as “photobomb,” “meme,” “twerk,” and “Sriracha.” Now all that’s left is to hope that iPhone autocorrect gets the hint and stops trying to turn my “twerk” into “tweak.”

Truly though, this is a great day. New words = modern language developing, and thriving, and being recognized and awesome.

I will say that I personally don’t think M-W’s definition fully encapsulates the wonder that is jeggings, no matter how happy I am to see them in the updated word-book. Merriam-Webster simply describes them as “a legging that is designed to resemble a tight-fitting pair of denim jeans and is made of a stretchable fabric.” But we all know there is SO much more to jeggings than that.

For example: They make real the miracle of wearing a pair of pants that you don’t have to pull up awkwardly every time you stand from your desk. Also, the miracle of looking work-appropriate and professional while you feel like you’re in pajamas. Or, my personal favorite, the miracle of yoga-pants-level-comfort with all the pockets your heart could desire.

Perfect jeggings definition or not, we’re more than excited about these dictionary updates. These are crucial words we use on the regular (except for “vocal fry” which we have literally never heard before) and now they’re getting the recognition they deserve. A few other new definitions we love and only learned thanks to these dictionary updates:

eggcorn (n.)
A word or phrase that sounds like and is mistakenly used in a seemingly logical or plausible way for another word or phrase either on its own or as part of a set expression.

colossal squid (n.)
An extremely large squid occurring in deep waters of the Southern Ocean that is the largest known living invertebrate.

Now, back to work in our cozy (and linguistically sound) jeggings.