Electrosmog enters the dictionary

Mobile phones emit electromagnetic fields known as "electrosmog"

"Electrosmog", "eco-village" and "carbon footprint" are among the new environmental terms which have made it into the latest Chambers Dictionary.

Popular culture has also had an influence, with "wardrobe malfunction" and "fashion forward" also included.

"Credit crunch" and "wags", which have recently won places in other dictionaries, also feature.

Dictionary editors said the new words painted a "vivid picture of current interests and concerns".

"Electrosmog" refers to the electromagnetic fields emitted by computers and mobile phones, "eco-village" is a term used for small ecologically-sustainable communities and "carbon footprint" is the measure of the impact human activities on the environment.

They are joined by two other environmental terms, "food miles" and "green tax", in the 11th edition of the dictionary.

'Fashion forward'

The war on terror also contributes to the edition with "blue-on-blue", referring to friendly fire attacks, "extraordinary rendition", a controversial detention method where a person is moved from one state to another, and "watch list", a list of those being monitored.

Janet Jackson suffered a "wardrobe malfunction" during 2004's Super Bowl

From the world of science and technology, "blu-ray", the blue laser used to read and write discs, "quantum computer", a computer that makes use of quantum mechanics, and "metamaterial", an artificially-created material which has properties not found in nature, make the pages.

Along with "wags", the wives and girlfriends of footballers, "wardrobe malfunction" and "fashion forward", meaning someone embracing the newest fashion trends, the influence of popular culture can be seen with the additions of "nail bars" and "social networking".

The growing interest in cuisine also sees Thai food's "pad thai" enter the dictionary as well as "comfort food" and "dashi", a Japanese clear stock made from dried bonito.

Dictionary editor in chief Mary O'Neill said: "The new words we added to this 11th edition of The Chambers Dictionary paint a vivid picture of current interests and concerns."