Merriam-Webster caught up to activist and scholarly circles this week when it added "Latinx" to its dictionary.
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Latinx is now in the @MerriamWebster Dictionary. ?@latinorebels pic.twitter.com/tp5Il1WReD
rnt— Jeronimo Saldaña (@JeronimoSaldana) September 5, 2018
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rntThe Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday (September 4) that "Latinx" is one of 840+ words recently added to the dictionary. A new page on the reference book publisher’s website defines "Latinx" as "of, relating to or marked by Latin American heritage—used as a gender-neutral alternative to Latino or Latina."
Many advocacy groups and media outlets (including Colorlines) already use the gender-neutral term.
"It’s important to remember that new words are added to the dictionary only when they have already been used by many people—often initially by specialists or subcultures," a company blog post says. "Then, gradually, a word’s use spreads to the rest of us."