At a time of great change in the United Kingdom’s political and royal spheres, as well as continuing conflict in Ukraine, it is not surprising that several new biographical entries have been added to CollinsDictionary.com. From Ukraine, we have president Volodymyr Zelensky and Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko, included with brother and fellow boxer Wladimir. From Britain, we have new king Charles III, queen consort Camilla, and (another) new prime minister in Rishi Sunak.
In addition to the word’s established sense, a new meaning of coronation – ‘appointing a person to a position of authority without seeking or considering applications from other candidates’ – has a greater connection with political elevation than royal succession. Political manoeuvres also underlie a new definition of theatre – ‘activity that is performed in a showy or exaggerated manner, esp in order to capture attention or support rather than for practical purposes’.
Our sense of who we are and how we present ourselves, especially with regards to sexual orientation and gender identity, is reflected in recent additions to CollinsDictionary.com, including demisexual, sexual identity, gender expression, and gender non-conforming.
Camilla born 1947, queen consort of Charles III of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Charles III born 1948, King of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 2022; son of Elizabeth II
coronation noun, informal the act of appointing a person to a position of authority without seeking or considering applications from other candidates
demisexual (ˌdɛmɪˈsɛkʃʊəl) adjective 1 experiencing sexual or romantic attraction to another person only after having formed a deep emotional bond with them ▷ noun 2 a demisexual person > demisexuality (dɛmɪˌsɛksjʊˈælɪtɪ) noun
gender expression noun a person’s presentation of their gender through their appearance, behaviour, etc
gender non-conforming adjective relating to a person or people who do not conform to the socially and culturally defined norms associated with a specific gender. Abbreviation: GNC
Klitschko 1 Vitali. born 1971, Ukrainian boxer and politician; won fifteen world heavyweight title fights (1999–2012); mayor of Kyiv from 2014 2 his brother, Wladimir. born 1976, Ukrainian boxer: won 25 out of his 29 world heavyweight title fights (2000–2017)
sexual identity noun a person’s understanding of who they are sexually or romantically attracted to
Sunak Rishi. born 1980, British Conservative politician; Chancellor of the Exchequer (2020–2022); Prime Minister from 2022
theatre or US theater noun activity that is performed in a showy or exaggerated manner, esp in order to capture attention or support rather than for practical purposes: the debate was merely theatre
Zelensky Volodymyr. born 1978, Ukrainian statesman; president from 2019
Written by Mary O’Neill, managing editor.
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