Have you ever been left speechless by an overload of cuteness, like when your puppy does something adorable or when you see a cute baby on a viral video? Well, now there’s a word for that sensation: gigil.
Gigil (pronounced ghee-gill) has recently been added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) as part of a collection of ‘untranslatable’ words—those that don’t have a direct equivalent in English. Originating from the Tagalog language of the Philippines, gigil describes a feeling so intense that it compels you to clench your fists, grit your teeth, or even squeeze or pinch whatever you find irresistibly cute.
Additionally, alamak, a common exclamation in Singapore and Malaysia used to express surprise or disbelief, has also made it into the dictionary.
“Wouldn’t it be useful for English speakers to have a specific word for sunlight dappling through leaves… Or a word for the action of sitting outside enjoying a beer?” the OED reflected in its latest update.
As speakers of English often borrow words from other languages to fill these gaps, words like gigil gradually make their way into everyday usage. When these borrowed words are used frequently enough, they eventually become part of the English lexicon.
The latest additions from Singapore and Malaysia also highlight the region’s strong connection to food culture. These include kaya toast, a popular breakfast dish made with toasted bread spread with a sweet jam made from coconut milk, eggs, sugar, and pandan leaves; fish head curry, a fusion dish combining Chinese and South Indian flavors, where a large fish head is simmered in a tangy tamarind-based curry; and steamboat, a communal dish of thinly sliced meat and vegetables cooked in a simmering broth in a hot pot. These culinary terms capture the essence of the region’s flavors and gastronomic traditions.
“All this talk of food might inspire one to get a takeaway, or to tapau,” OED noted, referencing the Cantonese and Mandarin word meaning “to package, or wrap up, food to take away.”
In addition to gigil, other newly added Philippine words include videoke, the popular local version of karaoke that features a scoring system, and salakot, a wide-brimmed, lightweight hat commonly worn by farmers.
Other additions from Philippine include what the OED says “idiosyncratic uses of existing English words”, like ‘terror’, sometimes which is used to describe a teacher who is strict, harsh, or demanding.
The Oxford English Dictionary continues to update with the addition of words that reflect the dynamic and diverse nature of the English language. With over 600,000 entries, it remains one of the most comprehensive dictionaries in the English-speaking world, continuously expanding to accommodate words from every corner of the globe.
Each year, Oxford English Dictionary editors review thousands of new word suggestions, drawn from various sources, including the editors’ own reading, crowdsourced efforts, and the analysis of language databases. In addition to words from Southeast Asia, this latest update also includes terms from regions such as South Africa and Ireland, further enriching the English language.