Ghanaian culture features prominently in the update. Traditional dance forms like adowa, a style originating among the Akan people characterized by expressive hand and foot movements that imitate the small antelope for which it’s named, dates back to 1928 in English usage. Kpanlogo, an energetic urban dance of the Ga people marked by rhythmic hip and hand movements, entered the language in 1965, along with the barrel-shaped drum used to perform it. The more recent hiplife, a 1999 coinage blending hip-hop with highlife music, represents Ghana’s contemporary musical innovations. Ghanaian cuisine is represented by ampesi, a dish of boiled starchy tubers served with various accompaniments, and light soup, a tomato-based Akan soup typically served with fufu or banku.
Nigerian contributions include both food and cultural expressions. The update recognizes moi moi, a steamed bean dish from Yoruba cuisine, and introduces commercial terms like “bend down (and) select,” referring to second-hand clothing markets where shoppers literally bend down to select items from piles. The phrase “Ghana Must Go” enters the dictionary with two meanings: the large checkered plastic bags used for travel, named after Nigeria’s 1983 deportation order, and the illicit cash bribes that often change hands in such bags. The informal expressions biko (from Igbo, meaning “please”) and abeg (a colloquial pronunciation of “I beg”) capture the flavor of Nigerian conversational English.
Regional dishes from across West Africa also receive recognition. Benachin, the Senegalese and Gambian version of jollof rice whose Wolof name means “one pot,” appears alongside yassa, a grilled and braised meat or fish dish marinated in lemon and spices, and domoda, a Mandinka-origin stew of vegetables in spicy peanut and tomato gravy. The word “swallow” enters the dictionary as a category of African staple foods with a doughy consistency, including Liberian dumboy (dating to 1831) and Nigerian amala. Other additions include poda-poda, the Sierra Leonean minibus transport system, and nawetan, which evolved from describing seasonal migrant laborers in Senegal to naming community football tournaments held during the rainy season.
The update demonstrates how West African languages continue to shape English, particularly through words borrowed from Twi, Yoruba, Igbo, Wolof, Mandinka, and Krio. Terms like obroni and abrokyire from Ghanaian Twi capture complex notions of foreignness and belonging that reflect postcolonial realities, while marketplace innovations like the mammy market trace back to 1946 military barracks. These additions represent more than linguistic curiosity—they document the lived experiences, culinary traditions, and cultural innovations of West African communities.
In total, the December 2025 update includes 24 new West African entries: abeg, abrokyire, Adowa, amala, ampesi, articulator, benachin, bend down (and) select, biko, domoda, dumboy, Ghana Must Go, hiplife, kpanlogo, light soup, mammy market, moi moi, nawetan, nyash, obroni, poda-poda, swallow, talk less of, and yassa. These words span categories from food and music to slang and social phenomena, with nyash (Nigerian slang for buttocks) and “talk less of” (a phrase meaning “let alone” or “not to mention”) joining the formal record of English usage. The full list of new words from around the world can be found in the OED’s December 2025 update.
Source: https://brittlepaper.com/2026/01/nyash-abeg-and-22-other-west-african-words-enter-the-oxford-english-dictionary
