‘Barkada,’ ‘presidentiable’ now part of Oxford English Dictionary

(Updated 12:58 p.m., June 26) The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) announced Thursday that several Filipino terms have been included on their latest word list update, among them "carnap," "presidentiable," and "estafa."

"The latest OED update sees the inclusion of a large number of words from distinct global varieties of English. From Philippines English there are new senses of common English," the OED said in its June 2015 update.

"Evidence for these usages is not just found in the Philippines itself but also in parts of the United States that have large Filipino populations," it added.

Among the words it mentioned were "gimmick," which means "a night out with friends"; "estafa," which means "fraud"; "barkada" for "group of friends"; "carnap," for "to steal a car"; and "presidentiable," which refers to "a person who is a likely or confirmed candidate for president."

Other new words, subentries, and senses from Philippines English added to the OED in this update are the following:

barangay (noun): In the Philippines: a village, suburb, or other demarcated neighbourhood; a small territorial and administrative district forming the most local level of government. [First recorded 1840]

balikbayan (noun): A Filipino visiting or returning to the Philippines after a period of living in another country. [1976]

KKB (interjection): 'Kaniya-kaniyang bayad', literally 'each one pays their own', used especially to indicate that the cost of a meal is to be shared. It can also be used as an adjective. [1987]

high blood: (a) n.colloq. hypertension; (b) adj.Philippine English angry, agitated.

despedida (noun): More fully despedida party. A social event honouring someone who is about to depart on a journey or leave an organization; a going-away party. [1929]

halo-halo (noun): A dessert made of mixed fruits, sweet beans, milk, and shaved ice, typically topped with purple yam, crème caramel, and ice cream. [1922]

sari-sari store (noun): A small neighbourhood store selling a variety of goods. [1925]

utang na loob (noun): A sense of obligation to return a favour owed to someone. [1906]

This move is part of its ongoing commitment to record words from all varieties of English around the world, the OED said in a news release.

The OED adds new words four times a year, as well as revised versions of existing words.

The latest update added 500 new words, more than 900 newly revised and updated words, and more than 2,400 new senses or definitions of existing words to the lexicon. —Jessica Bartolome/KBK, GMA News