"The main thing to take away from new additions to the dictionary is that they are not declarations..."

“The main thing to take away from new additions to the dictionary is that they are not declarations of which words are “real” or “official” and which ones are not. Rather, dictionaries are simply recording the way certain words are being used now, acting more as an archivist than a dictator trying to look hip. When a word like “woke” or “manspreading” has made it into the dictionary, it’s not because an all-mighty institution is telling the masses what words are appropriate to use. It’s because the masses are the real authority on language and humble dictionary makers are the recorders and researchers of what’s already going on. Dictionaries don’t create language. Communities of people do.”

- Why “woke” was added to the dictionary | The Outline (via brutereason)