Several popular Nigerian words and expressions have been officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), highlighting the growing global influence of Nigeria’s language, culture and cuisine.
The new entries appear in the OED’s December 2025 update, released on Wednesday, which introduced over 500 new words, phrases and meanings. The update also revised more than 1,000 existing entries and revisited the histories of familiar words such as “troll,” “coffee” and “snooker.”
According to the editors, the latest update reflects the rising impact of different varieties of English spoken around the world, including West African English, as well as English used in Malta, Japan and South Korea.
Among the Nigerian additions are everyday expressions, food items and cultural terms widely used across the country and beyond. These include “nyash,” “mammy market,” “amala,” “moi moi,” “abeg,” “biko,” and “Ghana Must Go.”
The dictionary also formally recognised “Afrobeats,” describing it as “a style of popular music incorporating elements of West African music and of jazz, soul and funk.”
“Abeg” is defined as an interjection used to convey different emotions depending on context, including surprise, disbelief or exasperation. “Biko,” a word rooted in the Igbo language, is described as an adverb and interjection used to make polite requests or add urgency similar to the word “please.”
“Nyash” is defined in the dictionary as a person’s buttocks, especially a woman’s, while “mammy market” is described as a market typically run by women, originally found in military barracks and later in youth service camps and educational institutions.
Food staples also made the list. “Amala” is recognised as a type of dough made from yam, cassava or unripe plantain flour, usually served alongside soups. “Moi moi,” a dish with Yoruba origins, is described as a steamed delicacy made from blended beans mixed with peppers, onions and other ingredients.
Another notable addition is “Ghana Must Go,” the popular name for 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 and is defined as a large, zippered plastic bag with a colourful check pattern.
The inclusion of these words, the OED noted, underscores how Nigerian language and culture continue to shape global English usage.
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