August/September 2005

New Word Watch

Merriam-Webster editors are giving the following words serious consideration for entry in a Merriam-Webster dictionary:

• agritourism noun [agriculture + tourism] : the practice of touring agricultural areas to see farms and often to participate in farm activities
• DEFCON noun [defense condition] : any of five levels of U.S. military defense readiness ranked according to the perceived threat to national security
• labelmate noun : a singer or musician who records for the same company as another

Do you have a suggestion for a word we should be watching for? E-mail us at Comments@Word.com, and we’ll tell you what we have on that word so far.