Last year, the world renowned Collins Dictionary included ‘vegan’ as one of its top ten words of the year, defining it as “a person who refrains from using any animal product whatever for food, clothing, or any other purpose” (‘single-use’ topped the list in 2018).
Now, Collins has revealed that a number of veganism-inspired words have made their way into the latest edition of its dictionary for the first time. These include ‘sosage’ (“a vegan alternative for sausage”), ‘seitan’ (“a foodstuff made from the gluten of wheat, used esp as a substitute for meat”) and ‘veganaise (“an egg-free substitute for mayonnaise”).
Even arcane terms like aquafaba (“[the water left over from cooking chickpeas, used as a substitute for egg whites”) have attracted the attention of Collins’ busy lexicologists.
“People like to have the vocabulary of their tribe. There is perhaps a jargon forming”
Dictionary compilers use search specialist engines to assess the popularity of words, including on social media. The Corpus search engine used by Collins showed that use of the word Veganuary had doubled since last year, while seitan was five times more popular than in 2014.
Mary O’Neill, senior content editor with Collins told The Times that the “shift towards plant-based diets brings a dynamic vocabulary”. She added: “People like to have the vocabulary of their tribe. There is perhaps a jargon forming. But it is not restricted to one small group. We hear these words in wider society as well.”