The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has added several Nigerian-origin words and expressions in its latest update, underscoring the growing global influence of Nigeria’s language, culture and cuisine.
The December 2025 update, released on the OED website on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, introduced more than 500 new words, phrases and senses. It also revised over 1,000 existing entries, while tracing the histories of words such as “troll”, “coffee” and “snooker”.
According to the dictionary, the update reflects additions from different varieties of English spoken around the world, including West African English, Maltese English, Japanese English and South Korean English.
Several Nigerian Pidgin and local expressions made the list. They include “nyash”, “mammy market”, “amala”, “moi moi”, “abeg”, “biko” and “Ghana Must Go”.
The update also retained “Afrobeats”, which the OED defines as “a style of popular music incorporating elements of West African music and of jazz, soul, and funk”.
“Abeg” was described as an interjection used to express a range of emotions such as surprise, exasperation and disbelief, depending on context.
“Biko”, which originated from the Igbo language, was defined as an adverb and interjection used in polite requests or agreement, or to add polite emphasis or urgency, meaning “please”.
“Nyash” was defined as “a person’s (especially a woman’s) buttocks; the bottom, the backside”.
The dictionary also added “Ghana Must Go”, referring to the large chequered plastic bags commonly used across West Africa. The term traces its origin to the 1983 mass expulsion of undocumented Ghanaian migrants from Nigeria.
It was defined as “a large, zippered bag made of durable plastic with a colourful check pattern, often used for carrying one’s belongings”.
“Mammy market” was recognised as “a market typically run by women, originally found in military barracks but later also in youth service camps and educational institutions”.
In the cuisine category, “amala” was defined as “a kind of dough made of yam, cassava, or unripe plantain flour, typically formed into a ball and served as an accompaniment to other dishes”.
“Moi moi” was described as a dish of Yoruba origin, “consisting of beans ground into a smooth paste, mixed with peppers, onions and other ingredients”.
Speaking on the update, OED Head of Pronunciations, Catherine Sangster, said it marked a significant step in documenting pronunciations across different varieties of English.
“With this update, we introduce a new model for the transcription of Maltese English pronunciations; this is the nineteenth World English pronunciation model in our collection,” Sangster said.
“We also celebrate a decade of OED having spoken pronunciations, which were first added in December 2015.”
Kano Times recalls that in January 2025, the OED expanded its lexicon with about 20 Nigerian words and expressions, including “japa”, “agbero”, “eba”, “419” and “abi”, further highlighting the growing influence of Nigerian English and Pidgin on global vocabulary.
