By Peter Omopo
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has added several Nigerian-origin words and expressions in its latest update, highlighting the growing global influence of Nigeria’s language, culture and cuisine.
The December 2025 update, released on Wednesday, features more than 500 new words, phrases and meanings, alongside revisions to over 1,000 existing entries. According to the OED, the update reflects the increasing impact of different varieties of English around the world, including West African English, Maltese English, Japanese English and South Korean English.
Among the newly added Nigerian words are commonly used expressions and food items such as “nyash,” “mammy market,” “amala,” “moi moi,” “abeg,” “biko,” and “Ghana Must Go.”
The update also includes “Afrobeats,” which the dictionary defines as “a style of popular music incorporating elements of West African music and of jazz, soul, and funk,” underscoring the global reach of the genre.
The OED describes “abeg” as an interjection used to express a range of emotions depending on context, including surprise, disbelief and exasperation. “Biko,” originally from the Igbo language, is defined as an adverb and interjection used to make a polite request or to add emphasis or urgency, meaning “please.”
“Nyash” is defined as “a person’s (especially a woman’s) buttocks; the bottom, the backside,” while “Ghana Must Go” is recognised as the name for the large, chequered plastic bags commonly used across West Africa. The term traces its origin to the 1983 mass expulsion of undocumented Ghanaian migrants from Nigeria.
The dictionary defines “mammy market” as “a market typically run by women, originally found in military barracks but later also in youth service camps and educational institutions.”
In the category of cuisine, the OED added “amala,” a staple dish made from yam, cassava or unripe plantain flour, described as “a kind of dough typically formed into a ball and served as an accompaniment to other dishes.” Also included is “moi moi,” a steamed bean pudding originating among the Yoruba people, made from ground beans mixed with peppers, onions and other ingredients.
The latest additions further reflect the expanding presence of Nigerian culture and everyday language in global English usage, as recognised by the Oxford English Dictionary.
