Every year, at least one dictionary picks a new slang term as its word of the year, and every year, older generations are baffled by it. For 2023, Oxford has chosen “rizz”, a term that’s gained popularity among Gen Z online. How did they land on that, and what does “rizz” even mean? Dr. Grant Berry is an assistant professor of Spanish and cognitive science at Villanova University, where he teaches classes on linguistics. He joins us to explain where “rizz” comes from, what Oxford looks for in their word of the year, and the role the internet plays in how languages develop.

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