OED adds 'gigil' and other Filipino terms

The Filipino term 'gigil,' describing an intense urge to pinch something cute due to overwhelming positive feelings, has been officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) this March.

Defined as both a noun and adjective in Philippine English, gigil captures unique emotions when seeing adorable things or people, often leading to physical reactions like clenching hands or gritting teeth.

The OED also included other uniquely Filipino words such as 'kababayan,' which refers to fellow Filipinos or people from the same area and can also describe a sweet yellow muffin-like cake shaped like a traditional farmer's hat called 'salakot'.

Other entries include dishes like 'lumpia' (spring rolls), cultural terms like 'videoke' (local version of karaoke), and unique uses of existing words such as 'load' for mobile phone credit, 'CR' for toilet or restroom, and 'terror' for a strict teacher.

Executive Editor Danica Salazar highlighted the inclusion of these untranslatable Filipino words in the OED's first quarter update for 2025.