Gigil, lumpia, kababayan, 8 more added to Oxford dictionary

MANILA, Philippines — It is an intense feeling very common among Filipinos, and the lack of a direct translation made “gigil” – along with 10 other Filipino words – among the latest additions to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED).

“Gigil is a feeling we get when we see someone or something cute, a feeling so intense that it gives us the irresistible urge to tightly clench our hands, grit our teeth and pinch or squeeze whomever or whatever it is?we find so adorable, whether it be a chubby-cheeked baby or a fluffy little kitten,” the OED said in its March 2025 update.

“Gigil is a pithy name for such a strange, paradoxical emotion, and apart from its use as a noun, it can also be employed as an adjective to describe the person experiencing it. So, if a Filipino says they’re gigil, they’re just dealing with overwhelming feelings (usually positive),” it added.

Aside from gigil, OED’s latest update also included 10 new “Philippine English” words, including borrowed and “idiosyncratic uses of existing English words.”

Among the loaned words were “salakot” – “a type of lightweight Filipino hat traditionally worn by farmers as protection against the weather, typically domed or conical in shape, with a wide brim and often having a spiked or ornamental finial at the tip of the crown” – and “kababayan,” which has two meanings: “a fellow Filipino” or “a small, sweet cake, similar to a muffin, typically yellow in color and having the shape of a salakot.”

The OED also now includes “sando,” “a sleeveless garment worn under or instead of a shirt; a vest,” and “videoke,” the Filipino version of karaoke.

“Lumpia” also made it to the list.

Meanwhile, Philippine English entries that are “idiosyncratic uses of existing English words” include “load,” or the “credit purchased for a pay-as-you-go mobile phone”; “CR,” short for comfort room and an alternative to toilet, and “terror,” a term used to describe a “strict, harsh or demanding” teacher.

The final Philippine English entry added to OED was “Thomasite,” a historical term to refer to an American teacher in the Philippines during the period of American occupation.