New words list October 2021

New words: entirely new headword entries appearing in OED for the first time
New sub-entries: compounds or phrases integrated in to the body of newly or recently updated entries
New senses: new senses integrated in to the body of newly or recently updated entries
Additions to unrevised entries: new senses, compounds, or phrases appended to the end of existing OED entries which have not yet been updated for the Third Edition

New word entries

artificial capital, n.: “Banking. Money introduced into a national economy through (state-sanctioned) measures enacted by the banking sector; assets that are financed through…” plus one more sense…
CO2, n.: “Carbon dioxide, a colourless, odourless gas produced by the burning of organic compounds and fossil fuels, by the processes of respiration and…”
cogeneration, n.: “The generation of electricity and useful heat jointly; esp. the utilization of the steam left over from electricity generation for heating.”
degrowth, n.: “The action of spoiling or destroying something. Obsolete.” and other senses…
energy from waste, n. and adj.: “The generation of a usable form of energy from waste, typically by combustion, but sometimes by first converting the waste to another type of fuel…” plus one more sense…
global heating, n.: “An increase in the average temperature of the earth’s atmosphere, waters, and land surface; spec. the long-term gradual temperature increase…”
kaitiakitanga, n.: “Guardianship or management, esp. of the natural resources of a place or area; environmental stewardship considered as a duty and responsibility of…”
microgrid, n.: “A small fine grid on the eyepiece of a microscope, or on the surface on which a specimen is mounted, used to aid the observation, counting, or…” plus one more sense…
natural capital, n.: “Banking. Assets that are not financed through liabilities; cf. artificial capital, n. 1. Obsolete.” plus one more sense…
waste-to-energy, adj. and n.: “Designating or relating to an installation, process, or scheme which converts waste into a usable form of energy, typically by combustion, but…” plus one more sense…

New sub-entries

active travel in active, adj. and n.: “(a) tourism involving a physical activity, esp. an outdoor sport; (b) travel, esp. commuting to work or school, by a means that involves physical…”
air source in air, n.1: “designating a heat pump that extracts heat from colder air and releases it into a heating or hot water system, or into a warmer place (as in an air…”
carbon capture in carbon, n.: “(originally) the fixation of carbon dioxide by a plant or microorganism; (in later use also) the trapping and storage of carbon dioxide produced by…”
carbon capture and storage in carbon, n.: “the trapping and storage of carbon dioxide produced by power plants or industrial facilities, in order to prevent it from reaching the atmosphere and…”
carbon storage in carbon, n.: “(originally) the retention of carbon fixed by a plant or microorganism; (in later use also) = carbon sequestration n.”
climate action in climate, n.1: “(a) practical, concerted efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change, esp. by planned measures implemented as national policy or international…”
climate catastrophe in climate, n.1: “severe adverse consequences of climate change, such as extreme weather and irreversible environmental damage.”
climate crisis in climate, n.1: “the increasing risk of hazardous, irreversible changes to the climate, resulting from global warming; the environmental crisis arising from this risk.”
climate denial in climate, n.1: “rejection of the idea (or the evidence) that climate change caused by human activity is occurring, or that it represents a significant threat to…”
climate denialism in climate, n.1: “the policy or stance of rejecting the idea (or the evidence) that climate change caused by human activity is occurring, or that it represents a…”
climate denier in climate, n.1: “a person who or institution which rejects the idea (or the evidence) that climate change caused by human activity is occurring, or that it represents…”
climate emergency in climate, n.1: “the increasing risk of hazardous, irreversible changes to the climate, resulting from global warming; the environmental crisis arising from this…”
climate justice in climate, n.1: “action or activism intended to ensure that efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change also address related social justice issues, such as the…”
climate refugee in climate, n.1: “a person who moves to a place where the climate is more congenial or beneficial (now rare); (now) a person forced to move to a different home…”
climate sceptic in climate, n.1: “(a) n.a person who or institution which rejects the idea (or the evidence) that climate change caused by human activity is occurring, or that it…”
climate strike in climate, n.1: “a form of public protest (often by young people withdrawing from their places of education or work) intended to draw attention to climate change and…”
decoupling in decouple, v.: “the action of separating from something or becoming independent; dissociation, disengagement, or withdrawal, esp. from a prior association or…”
eco-anxiety in eco-, comb. form: “unease or apprehension about current and future harm to the environment caused by human activity and climate change.”
ecosystem service in ecosystem, n.: “(chiefly in plural) any of the many natural-world phenomena and processes that (especially in healthy ecosystems) directly and indirectly benefit…”
extreme weather in extreme, adj., adv., and n.: “weather that is very harsh, unseasonal, or atypical for a particular region, (now) especially when attributed to the effects of climate change.”
food insecure in food, n.: “lacking reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food to meet one’s basic dietary needs.”
food insecurity in food, n.: “the state or condition of not having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food to meet one’s basic dietary needs.”
food secure in food, n.: “having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food to meet one’s basic dietary needs.”
food security in food, n.: “the state or condition of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food to meet one’s basic dietary needs.”
ground source in ground, n.: “designating a type of heat pump that extracts heat from the ground, which can then be circulated through a building to warm it; (of energy) obtained…”
net zero in net, adj.: “(in the management of greenhouse gas emissions) an overall balance between the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases produced and the…”
plastic footprint in plastic, n. and adj.: “a measure of the amount of plastic used and discarded (by an individual, business, etc.), over a given period of time.”
rain garden in rain, n.1: “an area of garden that lies below the level of its surroundings, designed to absorb rainwater that runs off from an impervious surface such as a…”
range anxiety in range, n.1 and adv.: “worry that an electric vehicle will not be capable of completing intended journeys (or of reaching a specific destination) before its battery loses…”
smart charging in smart, adj.: “a system for managing the charging of a battery (esp. that of an electric vehicle) that allows the process to be spread flexibly over a period of…”
solar park in solar, adj. and n.1: “an installation or area devoted to the generation of electricity by harnessing solar energy, typically by multiple arrays of solar panels.”
urban agriculture in urban, adj. and n.: “the practice of farming within an urban environment, especially the cultivation of food crops for consumption by local communities.”
vertical farm in vertical, adj. and n.: “(a) a farm on a steep incline, such as a hill or mountainside (now somewhat rare); (b) a building or other structure in which crops for human…”
vertical farming in vertical, adj. and n.: “†(a) a method of agriculture involving the use of dynamite to break up hard subsoil in order to increase the potential for crop production…”
water insecurity in water, n.: “the state or condition of not having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of water, esp. clean drinking water; cf. water poverty n., food…”
water security in water, n.: “the state or condition of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of water, esp. clean drinking water; see also food security n. at food, n…”
wind park in wind, n.1: “an installation devoted to the generation of electricity using wind energy, and typically having multiple wind turbines; cf. wind farm n. at…”
zero waste in zero, n. and adj.: “(a) n.(esp. with reference to the manufacture or distribution of a product) generation of very little or no waste; (b) adj.(esp. of the manufacture…”

New senses

clean, adj., Additions: “Of a fuel, source of energy, technology, etc.: (originally) producing few air pollutants; (in later use also, and now chiefly) producing relatively…”
climate, n.1, Compounds 1: “As a modifier, designating emotional or psychological states arising from concerns over the impact of climate change and global warming, as climate…”
decarbonization, n., Additions: “The action or process of reducing or eliminating the fossil fuel use of an economy, business sector, etc., so as to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.”
digester, n., Additions: “A tank or apparatus in which organic waste material, typically sewage, is decomposed by microbial action; a biodigester or anaerobic digester.”
dirty, adj. and adv., Additions: “Of a fuel, source of energy, technology, etc.: (originally) producing high levels of pollutants; (in later use also) producing high net emissions of…”
offshore, adv., adj., and prep., sense B.3d: “Designating equipment, installations, etc., located in oceans or other large bodies of water and used to generate electricity from renewable sources…”
tidal, adj., Additions: “The tidal flux as a source of energy from which electricity for domestic or industrial use can be generated; (also) the electricity generated from…”
tidal, adj., Additions: “Designating the energy of the tidal flux, or (in later use) electricity generated using it; concerned with or relating to this.”
unsustainable, adj., sense 2a: “Chiefly of an economic trend: that cannot be maintained or continued at a certain level or rate.”
unsustainable, adj., sense 2b: “That creates ecological imbalance or degradation, typically by the long-lasting or permanent depletion of finite natural resources.”
unsustainable, adj., sense 3: “That cannot be endured or borne, esp. over a prolonged period; unbearable.”
windmill, n., Additions: “A wind turbine used to generate electricity.”
wood-fired, adj., sense 2: “Of food: cooked in a wood-fired oven.”

Additions to unrevised entries

clean, adj., Additions: “Of a fuel, source of energy, technology, etc.: (originally) producing few air pollutants; (in later use also, and now chiefly) producing relatively…”
decarbonization, n., Additions: “The action or process of reducing or eliminating the fossil fuel use of an economy, business sector, etc., so as to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.”
decoupling in decouple, v.: “the action of separating from something or becoming independent; dissociation, disengagement, or withdrawal, esp. from a prior association or…”
digester, n., Additions: “A tank or apparatus in which organic waste material, typically sewage, is decomposed by microbial action; a biodigester or anaerobic digester.”
dirty, adj. and adv., Additions: “Of a fuel, source of energy, technology, etc.: (originally) producing high levels of pollutants; (in later use also) producing high net emissions of…”
extreme weather in extreme, adj., adv., and n.: “weather that is very harsh, unseasonal, or atypical for a particular region, (now) especially when attributed to the effects of climate change.”
ground source in ground, n.: “designating a type of heat pump that extracts heat from the ground, which can then be circulated through a building to warm it; (of energy) obtained…”
solar park in solar, adj. and n.1: “an installation or area devoted to the generation of electricity by harnessing solar energy, typically by multiple arrays of solar panels.”
tidal, adj., Additions: “The tidal flux as a source of energy from which electricity for domestic or industrial use can be generated; (also) the electricity generated from…”
tidal, adj., Additions: “Designating the energy of the tidal flux, or (in later use) electricity generated using it; concerned with or relating to this.”
vertical farm in vertical, adj. and n.: “(a) a farm on a steep incline, such as a hill or mountainside (now somewhat rare); (b) a building or other structure in which crops for human…”
vertical farming in vertical, adj. and n.: “†(a) a method of agriculture involving the use of dynamite to break up hard subsoil in order to increase the potential for crop production…”
wind park in wind, n.1: “an installation devoted to the generation of electricity using wind energy, and typically having multiple wind turbines; cf. wind farm n. at…”
windmill, n., Additions: “A wind turbine used to generate electricity.”