Words With Friends revealed that the word “orbisculate” has been added to the game’s dictionary. The word was coined by language enthusiast Neil Krieger, who passed away due to COVID–19. The move is Zynga’s way of supporting the Krieger family’s mission of getting the word into the official English language dictionary.
Besides adding the word, Words With Friends also featured it as the “Word of the Day.” Players can now even learn both the definition and full etymology of the word.
According to a press release, Neil came up with the word as part of an assignment when he was studying at Cornell University. So what does the word actually mean? It’s defined as “to accidentally squirt juice and/or pulp into one's eye, as from a grapefruit, when eating.” The word Neil created is something that everyone can experience, however, this same word also reflects Neil’s very own humor and creativity.
It seems that since creating the word, Neil had been using it so casually that even his two children, Hilary and Jonathan, thought it was an actual word. Both children learned later that it wasn’t a real word, especially when they couldn’t find it in the dictionary.
Sadly, Neil was one of at least 555,000 Americans who succumbed to the coronavirus disease. Neil’s children wanted to immortalize and honor the memory of their father by having it become part of the official English language dictionary.
Hilary shared that while the word itself may be whimsical, its story is something that people can easily relate to. She added that her dad would have truly been happy to know that the word is now part of the game. By being part of the game, Jonathan added that he hopes the word becomes part of the vernacular and eventually enters the English language dictionary.
Meanwhile, Zynga President of Publishing Bernard Kim revealed that during the pandemic, there have been a lot of initiatives in the gaming community, which helped support gamers and members. He added that they want to help the Kriegers reach their goal.
For those who want to support and help the Krieger’s, you can visit their website here.
