If you含羞草研究社檝e noticed kids含羞草研究社� conversations sound a little different this back-to-school season, you含羞草研究社檙e not alone.

Words like 含羞草研究社渟kibidi,含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社渟igma含羞草研究社� and 含羞草研究社済yatt含羞草研究社� now pepper tweens含羞草研究社� sentences, and 含羞草研究社淥hio含羞草研究社� is more than just a U.S. state: it含羞草研究社檚 a state of being.

The issue came up at 11-year-old Dashiell Chinn含羞草研究社檚 summer camp, where he said his counsellor banned the word 含羞草研究社渟kibidi,含羞草研究社� citing its annoyingness and lack of meaning.

Dashiell含羞草研究社檚 dad Wyatt Chinn said he understands the impulse.

含羞草研究社淭hat actually is exactly why we tell Dashiell he shouldn含羞草研究社檛 swear,含羞草研究社� Chinn said. 含羞草研究社淏ecause it含羞草研究社檒l stunt your vocabulary. You含羞草研究社檙e at an age where it含羞草研究社檚 very important to build out your vocabulary and use words that have actual, specific meanings.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淪kibidi含羞草研究社� can be used as an adjective or adverb 含羞草研究社� sometimes replacing 含羞草研究社渃ool含羞草研究社� or 含羞草研究社渂ad含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社� or it can be repeated ad nauseam for 含羞草研究社渃omedic含羞草研究社� effect. It was popularized in a series of YouTube videos called 含羞草研究社淪kibidi Toilet含羞草研究社� that Chinn said 含羞草研究社渉aunts含羞草研究社� his dreams.

But the word含羞草研究社檚 meaninglessness may be part of its allure, said Sali Tagliamonte, a professor of sociolinguistics at the University of Toronto, who studies language change.

She first heard the word when she was in England, going into different classrooms and teaching teens about language.

含羞草研究社淭hey thought it was a big joke against adults who didn含羞草研究社檛 know what it meant, and they would just use it to confound the adults in the room,含羞草研究社� Tagliamonte said.

The word含羞草研究社檚 popularity is highest among tweens and young teens: members of an age group who want to separate themselves from both little kids and adults.

New slang often bubbles up in this demographic, she noted, as kids move to larger schools or start having a different cohort of classmates for each class. They含羞草研究社檙e exposed to different people, and therefore different language.

What含羞草研究社檚 different from past generations, Tagliamonte said, is the speed of language change.

含羞草研究社淭here含羞草研究社檚 lots more ways to communicate,含羞草研究社� she said. 含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 not just speaking on the street but texting on our phones and listening to podcasts and checking in 含羞草研究社� wherever we含羞草研究社檙e going online.含羞草研究社�

That, she said, isn含羞草研究社檛 a bad thing.

含羞草研究社淣obody should be too concerned about new words,含羞草研究社� she said. 含羞草研究社淭hey should just wonder how they came to be and watch where they go. It含羞草研究社檚 fascinating to me.含羞草研究社�

But those quick changes can lead to confusion as the meaning of new words shifts.

Chinn said he含羞草研究社檚 found himself correcting Dashiell含羞草研究社檚 use of words like 含羞草研究社渟us含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社� which is short for suspicious or suspect 含羞草研究社� and 含羞草研究社渟igma,含羞草研究社� which members of gen Alpha (the successorsto gen Z) have started using to mean 含羞草研究社渃ool.含羞草研究社�

But Chinn said that word in particular worries him, because it含羞草研究社檚 adapted from online content made by boys and young men who tend to vilify women. Those boys don含羞草研究社檛 identify as either 含羞草研究社渁lpha males,含羞草研究社� who are successful with women, or 含羞草研究社渂etas,含羞草研究社� who they believe are weak.

含羞草研究社淪o they say I含羞草研究社檓 a 含羞草研究社榮igma,含羞草研究社� because I含羞草研究社檓 still dominant but I don含羞草研究社檛 have any friends and girls don含羞草研究社檛 like me,含羞草研究社� Chinn said.

He doesn含羞草研究社檛 want his son using words that validate that worldview, he said.

含羞草研究社淚 don含羞草研究社檛 know if they含羞草研究社檙e just perverting words into their own slang, or if they含羞草研究社檙e using them incorrectly,含羞草研究社� he said, before conceding: 含羞草研究社淥r maybe it含羞草研究社檚 evolving.含羞草研究社�

A GLOSSARY OF TERMS

含羞草研究社淐hat含羞草研究社�: a generic term of address for an audience; a sort of plural 含羞草研究社測ou含羞草研究社� born of online content creators who stream videos of themselves gaming, in which they address live viewers who provide commentary in the chat section.

含羞草研究社淔anum Tax含羞草研究社�: stealing food between friends, based on the username of Twitch streamer Fanum.

含羞草研究社淕yatt含羞草研究社�: a big butt; short for an overenunciated pronunciation of 含羞草研究社済oddamn.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淥hio含羞草研究社�: crazy, strange; based on funny stories that came out of Ohio.

含羞草研究社淩izz含羞草研究社�: short for charisma. See also: 含羞草研究社淩izzler含羞草研究社� for a charming person.

含羞草研究社淪igma含羞草研究社�: Cool; adapted from an online subculture of boys who don含羞草研究社檛 identify as either 含羞草研究社渁lpha males,含羞草研究社� who are successful with women, or 含羞草研究社渂etas,含羞草研究社� who they believe are weak.

含羞草研究社淪kibidi含羞草研究社�: we won含羞草研究社檛 even try to define this one.

-with files from Cassandra Szklarski.