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Nigeria’s everyday language has taken a prominent place on the global stage following a fresh update by the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), which has added several Nigerian-origin words to its authoritative glossary.
In its December 2025 release, the OED introduced more than 500 new words and expressions, signalling what editors described as the expanding international reach of regional English varieties, particularly from Africa.
Among the newly recognised Nigerian terms are popular expressions such as “nyash,” “abeg,” and “biko,” alongside food staples like “amala” and “moi moi.”
Cultural phrases including “mammy market” and “Ghana Must Go” also made the list.
An OED editor noted that the additions reflect how language travels with people, music, and food.
“These words are no longer confined to local use. They appear in music, films, social media, and daily conversations far beyond Nigeria,” the editor said.
The update also acknowledges Nigeria’s culinary footprint.
Amala was defined as a dough-like meal made from yam, cassava, or plantain flour, while moi moi was described as a steamed bean pudding rooted in Yoruba cuisine.
Beyond food, everyday Nigerian expressions received scholarly attention.
The dictionary explains “abeg” as an interjection conveying emotions ranging from disbelief to mild frustration, while “biko,” borrowed from the Igbo language, is used to politely press a request.
One of the most discussed additions, “nyash,” was defined plainly as a reference to a person’s buttocks, a term widely used in informal speech and pop culture.
Historical context also shaped the update.
“Ghana Must Go,” now globally recognised as a large chequered travel bag, traces its name to the 1983 expulsion of undocumented Ghanaian migrants from Nigeria, a history the dictionary now formally records.
Similarly, “mammy market” was defined as a women-led market system that originated in military barracks before spreading to youth service camps and educational institutions.
The OED update was not limited to Nigerian English. Editors revised over 1,000 existing entries and added words from West African, Maltese, Japanese, and South Korean varieties of English, underlining the evolving nature of the language.
Music culture also featured prominently, with “Afrobeats” described as a genre blending West African sounds with jazz, soul, and funk, another nod to Nigeria’s growing global influence.
For linguists and cultural observers, the update marks more than a vocabulary expansion.
As one language researcher put it, “This is recognition that Nigerian English is shaping how the world speaks, eats, and creates culture.”