Dictionary adds 'staycation,' 'flash mob'

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., July 10 (UPI) -- U.S. publisher Merriam-Webster has announced new words added to its Collegiate Dictionary, including "staycation" and "waterboarding."

The new words added to the Eleventh Edition of the dictionary include "staycation," defined as "a vacation spent at home or nearby," and "flash mob," which is listed as "a group of people summoned (as by e-mail or text message) to a designated location at a specified time to perform an indicated action before dispersing," Merriam-Webster said on its Web site.

The updated dictionaries define "waterboarding" as "an interrogation technique in which water is forced into a detainee's mouth and nose so as to induce the sensation of drowning," and "earmark" as "a provision in congressional legislation that allocates a specified amount of money for a specific project, program, or organization."

Other words added to the new dictionary include South American fruit "acia," analgesic medication "naproxen" and "Webisode," defined as "an episode especially of a TV show that may or may not have been telecast but can be viewed at a Web site."