To all lovers of Merriam-Webster and worshipers of the OED, the time has come for you to set aside your hallowed volumes—lexicography just got a fresh new face. UrbanDictionary.com is an online dictionary that aims to help you “define your world.” The rules are simple: any word can be included in the dictionary, anyone may post a definition for a word, and viewers rate the quality of the entries.
Originally created as a parody of dictionary.com, UrbanDictionary.com now boasts over 300,000 definitions. Many consist of slang terms from hip-hop or rap, and are unlikely to appear in traditional dictionaries. The site has become both the definitive source for referencing essential terms like “homeslice,” “lollerskates,” “crunk” and “G” as well as a veritable online forum for devoted fans across the country.
The trend has caught on at Harvard as well. Conor Quinn, a linguistics grad student, describes Urban Dictionary as a “sociolinguistic gold mine,” adding that the site is “an interesting reflection of people’s attitudes towards language. It’s not just about the definitions, but also how people go about presenting them.”
Some of the best entries that UrbanDictionary.com boasts are actually alternate definitions of universally recognized words. The word “milkshake” is defined by The American Heritage College Dictionary as “a beverage made of milk, flavoring and ice cream, shaken or whipped until foamy.” But on UrbanDictionary.com, where it is the second-most popular word, milkshake is the power a woman holds over a man when she walks into a room (with reference to the hip hop song du jour, Kelis’ “Milkshake”).
Harvard has also made its way onto UrbanDictionary.com. Not unexpectedly, the definitions are polarized. One insult by a user called Funkmaster is followed by an ardent defense from Funkmasterisretarded: “Harvard: Where turds like Funkmaster wish they could go so that they don’t have to clean shum for a living.” Shum, the dictionary says, is “a mixture of shit and cum.”
Yale gets knocked with even more vehemence. Definitions include: unaccredited university in southern Connecticut; a place where students want to invest in purchasing bullet-proof vests; where people go who don’t get into Harvard.
It becomes apparent that although few words on UrbanDictionary.com can ever be reduced to a single definition, it is precisely this democratic philosophy of including all contributed ideas that gives the site its popularity. One thing certainly is clear: the hottest dictionary of the decade has already succeeded in generating more than one case of “Urban Addictionary.” Still not sure what it means to be an Urban Addict?
Look it up.
