A New Covid Lexicon

The coronavirus has not done any good to humans and our population but it has surely contributed to the world famous Oxford English Dictionary. The Oxford English Dictionary every year includes some of the words from all around the world and makes them a part of itself and thus we are able to learn and remember different types of words.

This year too, the words have been contributed by the pandemic the world is facing. The Coronavirus has brought some of the words into the dictionary that were not commonly used earlier but now have become part of our daily life.

   

The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced new words to our daily dictionary. While expressions such as self-isolation and shelter in place has taken on newer meanings and lesser known abbreviations. The Oxford English Dictionary, the world’s biggest and most renowned English dictionary has come up with an unscheduled update to Covid 19 and  many other words related to pandemic.

1.) COVID-19 : According to the Oxford dictionary, the word COVID-19 is a newly coined word related to pandemic. It is described as ‘An Acute Respiratory Illness’ in humans caused by coronavirus which is capable of producing severe symptoms and death, especially in the elderly and others with unduly conditions.

2.) Social Distancing : Social distancing was first used in 1957 and was originally an attitude rather than a physical term, referring to an aloofness or a deliberate attempt to distance oneself from other in the society.  Now the word has been used to refer to the physical distancing  between ourselves and others to avoid the spread of infection.

3.) Shelter in Place : This is a protocol instructing people to find a place that is safe as a location until all clear is sounded. It was created in 1976. Earlier it was used for the instruction to stay in safe indoors to protect oneself from nuclear or terrorist attack but now has been used for the protection against the spread of virus.

4.) Self Isolation : It is used to describe self imposed isolation to prevent the catching and transmitting of an infectious disease. Back in 1800s, the term was carried by the countries who choose to detach themselves politically or economically from the rest of the country.

5.) WFH AND PPE : Work From Home ( WFH) and Personal Protective Equipment are two of the most commonly used words today. Now WFH has become a way of life due to the lockdown that has forced us for staying indoors . PPE is now almost universally recognised as personal protective equipment to use for healthcare and emergency professionals. It dates back to 1934.

 Besides, the revised record on linguist impact of coronavirus, we have also been acquainted with some of the words related to pandemic as :-

1.) Aerosol: Refers to liquid or solid particle that are dispersed in a gas and is know to spread the virus through droplets.

2.) Asymptomatic: This means showing no evidence of a disease. It doesn’t mean they are not infected with COVID-19.

3.) Hydroxychloroquine{HCQ): It is a drug used to treat malaria and tested as a possible treatment for novel coronavirus.

4.) CDC: Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

5.) Community Spread: Community spread means disease which infects the whole community where the source is unknown.

6.) Communicable: Capable of being communicated or transmitted. 

7.) Contact tracing: It is finding out all the people who have come in direct contact with the person who is infected with the person.

8.) Containment: The action of keeping something harmful under control or within limits.

9.) Epidemic: It means a temporary prevalence of a disease spreading from person to person in a locality where that disease is not permanently prevalent.

10.) Exponential: That generally means the number of cases is increasing rapidly.

11.) Flatten the Curve: Slowing down of an epidemic disease so that the capacity of healthcare system doesn’t become overwhelmed.

12.) Herds Immunity: Immunity or resistance to a particular infection that occurs in a group of people or animals when a very high percentage of individuals have been vaccinated or exposed infections.

13.) Immunity: It is a power of living body to protect/ fight from attack of disease.

14.) Isolation : It is a complete separation from others of a person suffering from a contagious or infectious disease.

15.) Pandemic : It is a disease prevalent throughout an entire country, continent or whole world.

16.) Quarantine : Strict isolation imposed to prevent the spread of particular infectious or communicable disease. 

17.) Respirator : It is a mask like device, usually a gauze, worn over the mouth to prevent the inhalation of noxious substance, virus, bacteria, etc,etc.

18.) Screening : Examining of a person to see if he’s suffering from a disease.

19.) Symptoms : It is phenomenon that arises from and accompanies a particular disease or disorder and serves as an indication of it.

20.)  Virus : It is infection carrying agent that replicates only within the cell of living hosts, bacteria, animal or a plant.

21.) WHO : World Health Organisation. The primary role of WHO is to direct international health within the United Nations’ system and to lead partners in global health responses. It is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health, based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

11 − three =