Neologism
A newly coined word or a new use of an existing word. Neologisms may spread widely, remain specialized, or disappear.
Word formation: The processes by which words are built from existing linguistic material or borrowed forms. Compounding, affixation, and other formation processes produce many neologisms.
William Shakespeare: An English playwright and poet whose works include Hamlet, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet. Many English words and senses are first recorded in his works, though he may not have coined them.
Lexeme: An abstract vocabulary unit that includes a word and its grammatical forms. A neologism can be a new lexeme or a new sense attached to an existing one.
Internet slang: Informal vocabulary and expressions associated with online communication. Rapid online exchange spreads new abbreviations, formations, and senses.
Language change: Change over time in a language’s sounds, vocabulary, grammar, or meanings. The spread of neologisms is one visible part of ongoing lexical change.
Blending: A word-formation process that combines parts of two or more words into a new form. Words such as “brunch” show how clipped forms can combine into neologisms.
Lewis Carroll: The pen name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, an English writer and mathematician best known for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. His playful writing popularized invented words such as “chortle.”
Morpheme: The smallest linguistic unit that carries meaning or grammatical function. New words often combine familiar morphemes into unfamiliar forms.
Scientific terminology: The specialized vocabulary used to describe concepts and practices in science. New discoveries and methods often require newly coined technical terms.
Language purism: An effort to preserve or restore a language by limiting foreign or perceived undesirable elements. Purist responses often target borrowed or newly coined vocabulary.