The Simpsons not only is the longest-running show in television history but also is one of the most popular and loved shows worldwide. Be it for its witty and humorous storyline or its take on contemporary and political issues, the record-breaking animated series running for almost 30 seasons has a massive fanbase around the globe. And if its poignant and sarcastic take was not enough to love the show, the mindboggling prophecies by its writers has sparked a newer interest among the audience. From Donald Trump's election victory to US curling team winning the gold at the Winter Olympics 2018, The Simpsons predictions have continued to blow people's minds. Fans now have another reason to rejoice as a word created by the show's writers have been added to the dictionary. Yes, Embiggen, a fictitious word from the sitcom made it to the Merriam-Webster's glossary. The iconic word was first used in a 1996 episode titled “Lisa the Iconoclast”, and now 22 years later has found its place in the pages of the dictionary. It is one of the new words among the 850 new words and definitions added to the thesaurus and has been identified as a transitive verb. It means "to make bigger or more expansive", with closest synonyms being "enlarge" and "expand" suggested by Merriam-Webster. The dictionary also underlined that its usage is "informal" and "humorous." A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man. Also, 'embiggen' is now a word we enter. pic.twitter.com/wLUDsWIAga — Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) March 5, 2018 It is from the motto of The Simpsons' fictional town of Springfield. In the first ever scene where it was uttered, it showed, Jebediah Springfield - the founder of the town telling students from Springfield Elementary School that the town's motto is "A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man." And in case you are wondering who to thank for the iconic word, The Simpsons writer Michael Price tweeted that it was fellow writer Dan Greaney's creation. Congrats to my friend, @dangreaney, the creator of "embiggen". — Michael Price (@mikepriceinla) March 5, 2018 Other words added to the dictionary are 'Cryptocurrency', 'chiweenie' (a cross between a Chihuahua and a dachshund), 'dumpster fire' (a disastrous event), and 'harissa' (a spicy North African chili paste), 'wordie' (a word lover), 'mansplain' (to explain something in a condescending way) among others.
