Understanding language is key to efficient communication, therefore it’s imperative for one to know the words others use. As time progresses, naturally, so does language. For one to effectively communicate with peers, he or she must stay up to date on new terms and slang words.
Keeping up with new lingo is hard in this tech-savvy world, yet, there’s no need to fear, as this blog will serve as a contemporary dictionary for informal words. Through definitions, examples and in-depth analysis over the origins of each word, this bi-weekly guide can teach you all about common-day speech so you can communicate with others comfortably.
 
[tabs active=”3″][/tabs] woke
adjective | wohk

1. aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues, especially issues of racial and social justice
2. aware of the facts, true situation

examples:

1. “We have a moral obligation to ‘stay woke,’ take a stand and be active; challenging injustices and racism in our communities and fighting hatred and discrimination wherever it rises.”  — Barbara Lee, former U.S. Representative
2. A tomato is a fruit and not a vegetable. Stay woke.

source: http://www.dictionary.com/browse/woke?s=t
origin:
According to Oxford Dictionaries, the earliest recorded example of a figurative meaning of woke was in 1962, when it was listed in the glossary of novelist William Melvin Kelley’s New York Times article about white people appropriating African-American slang. It’s definition in the piece mirrors today’s meaning exactly: well informed and up-to-date. The word faded out of use until 2008, when singer-songwriter Erykah Badu released a song entitled “Master Teacher.” In the song, Badu sang, “I stay woke,” meaning that she recognizes her dream of racial equality is far from reality. Woke remained a powerful word for black activists for the following six years. But in 2014, meme culture snatched the word and began using it for mundane and ridiculous things, like tweeting for others to #StayWoke on outrageous rumors about celebrities. From there, the interpretation spiraled further into the abyss of the internet and now holds more of an ironic and absurd meaning. Though it’s not used now as it was initially intended, the connotation never changed throughout the years.
[tabs active=”3″][/tabs] literally
adverb | lit-er-uh-lee

1. used for emphasis or to express strong feeling while not being literally true

examples:

1. I have received literally one million letters
2. I literally can’t deal with how much stress I have right now

source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/literally
origin:
It’s crazy to think that the word  literally holds a figurative meaning; even Merriam-Webster wrote a rant about how nonsensical English is for having this hilarious contronym, or a word with a contradictory meaning. Though the meaning seems like something that originated from a viral YouTube video or a trending hashtag, the first time literally was used in a figurative sense dates back to 1769 in the novel The History of Emily Montague. In addition to that, reputable authors such as Charles Dickens, F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce and many more used this version of literally in their novels decades ago. Even the Oxford English Dictionary has listed this secondary definition of the term since 1903. This strange meaning of literally has been around for centuries, and only now it’s becoming a popular, well-known connotation. When people use literally now-a-days, it’s usually to describe something literally irrational or unrealistic, sort of like a hyperbole. Say literally whenever you literally have no other words to describe what’s happening.
[tabs active=”3″][/tabs] fleek
adjective | fleek

1. flawlessly styled, groomed; looking great
2. perfect; flawless

examples:

1. her eyebrows on fleek
2. that song is fleek!
3. have you ever seen something more fleek?

source: http://www.dictionary.com/browse/fleek
origin:
The word fleek is much younger than the two previous terms, yet it  is older than most presume. Written as a definition on Urban Dictionary in 2003, fleek meant “smooth, nice, sweet,” which was then edited in 2009 as a synonym for awesome. Eleven years later, fleek became popular after user Peaches Monroee released a vine in 2014 saying the term. It’s now used as a combination of the two to say that an object is stylish or cool. The most common way to use fleek is by saying something is “on fleek,” like Monroee did in her video. Don’t get confused, fleek and on fleek mean the exact same thing — that something is amazing;  they are just worded differently.
[tabs active=”3″][/tabs] Now that you know these terms, you’re literally woke. Now all you have to do is apply and use these words in your everyday language, and your communication skills will be on fleek.