Brain Rot ??, Origins of Christmas Words ??, AI's Role in Healthcare ??, and more

Welcome to the first ever Language Technology and Data newsletter. As the year comes to a close, we're bringing you a festive dose of language technology and data. Here's what's under the tree this month at Oxford Languages!

?? From mistletoe to noisy birds: The origins of Christmas words

Unwrap the magic of language with a special blog by the inimitable Susie Dent (known for her role on Channel 4's Countdown and numerous books). Discover how words like "mistletoe" and "Yule" found there way into our festive vocabularies.

Read Susie's Blog ??

?? Do you have Brain Rot?

After 'Brain Rot' was named as the Oxford Word of the Year 2024, The Guardian put together a quiz to test just how much you might be succumbing to it. Think you're safe? There's only one way to find out.

Take the Quiz ??

?? Coming soon: New Oxford Dictionaries API subscription plans!

Get ready for the launch of two exciting subscription plans: API Lite and Growing plans. Perfect for startups, developers and businesses looking to scale, these plans make it easier than ever to integrate globally trusted language data into your apps and products.

Try our Free Trial before the official launch ??

?? The Role of AI in Healthcare: The Dermie.AI Story

Join us as we sit down with Founder and CEO of Dermie.AI, Yasmin Greenaway, in our studio to talk about the inspiration behind her Google-backed startup, ethical considerations, regulatory hurdles and her vision for the future of AI in healthcare.

?? When: Thursday 23 January, 2025

? Time: 3pm-4pm GMT

Register now ??

?? Spotlight: How Flowery used our data to transform their app

From enhancing UX to their sophisticated spaced repetition system, see how the team at Flowery, a vocabulary-building app, used our data to flourish, gaining several hundred new users in the process.

Read the full story ??

?? Happy Holidays from the Oxford Languages team

As we wrap up and reflect on the year, to spread some holiday cheer, we've created a special video from team members around the world. We look forward to seeing you in 2025!