On Thursday, Merriam-Webster stamped its approval on a raft of words that will appear in its next dictionary update, including the verb "google" and other tech terms such as "spyware" and "mouse potato."
The words will show in the 11th edition of the "Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary," scheduled for publication later this year according to the dictionary maker, but are already included in its online dictionary.
google: (transitive verb) To use the Google search engine to obtain information about (as a person) on the World Wide Web.
Other technology-related words to debut in the 11th edition include "spyware" (software that is installed in a computer without the user"s knowledge and transmits information about the user"s computer activities over the Internet) and "mouse potato" (a person who spends a great deal of time using a computer).
In all, Merriam-Webster plans to add nearly 100 new entries to its dictionary.