Merriam-Webster added more than 1,000 new words to the dictionary Tuesday, and some of them will look familiar to those in healthcare.
Here are five words form science and medicine that were just added to the dictionary, along with their new definitions.
CRISPR: "A segment of genetic material found in the genomes of prokaryotes (such as some bacteria and archaea) that consists of repeated short sequences of nucleotides interspersed at regular intervals between unique sequences of nucleotides derived from the DNA of pathogens (such as viruses) which had previously infected the bacteria and that functions to protect the bacteria against future infection by the same pathogens. The CRISPR segment encodes, via transcription, short RNA sequences that pair with complementary sequences of viral DNA. The pairing is used to guide an enzyme to cleave the viral DNA and prevent further infection."
EpiPen: "Used for a preparation of epinephrine administered by auto-injector."
Microbiome: "A community of microorganisms (such as bacteria, fungi and viruses) that inhabit a particular environment and especially the collection of microorganisms living in or on the human body."
Prosopagnosia: "A form of visual agnosia characterized by an inability to recognize faces."
Urgent care: "Medical care provided for illnesses or injuries which require prompt attention but are typically not of such seriousness as to require the services of an emergency room."