The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has added several Nigerian words and expressions in its latest update, showing the growing global influence of Nigeria’s language, culture, and food.
The December 2025 update, released on Wednesday, introduced over 500 new words and phrases. These include popular internet slang such as “DM,” “brainfart,” and “chug.” The dictionary also reviewed and updated more than 1,000 existing entries and traced the history of words like “troll,” “coffee,” and “snooker.”
According to the editors, the update reflects the rising influence of different forms of English spoken around the world, including West African English, Maltese English, Japanese English, and South Korean English.
Among the Nigerian words added are common expressions and food items such as “abeg,” “biko,” “nyash,” “mammy market,” “amala,” “moi moi,” and “Ghana Must Go.”
The word “Afrobeats” was also included and defined as a popular music style that blends West African music with jazz, soul, and funk.
The dictionary explains that “abeg” is an expression used to show different emotions such as surprise, frustration, or disbelief. “Biko,” which comes from the Igbo language, is used to politely make a request or add emphasis, similar to saying “please.”
“Nyash” is defined as a person’s buttocks, especially a woman’s. “Ghana Must Go” refers to the popular large, colourful plastic bags widely used across West Africa. The name comes from the 1983 expulsion of undocumented Ghanaian migrants from Nigeria.
“Mammy market” is described as a market usually run by women. It originally existed in military barracks and later spread to youth service camps and schools.
In terms of food, the dictionary added “amala,” a staple meal made from yam, cassava, or plantain flour, and “moi moi,” a steamed bean dish popular among the Yoruba people.
Earlier, in January 2025, the Oxford English Dictionary had also added 20 Nigerian words and expressions, further highlighting the global impact of Nigerian English, Pidgin, and street slang. These included words like “japa,” “agbero,” “eba,” “419,” and “abi.”
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