Etymology is such a fascinating field of research. The English language as a whole is really something to ogle at. From its creation over a thousand years ago, the language has evolved and changed throughout its lifespan.
Today in the big two-four, the language is almost completely unrecognizable. The constant innovation of humanity in the English-speaking world has brought great cause for the creation of new words and phrases. English is broken up into multiple different dialects by the use of slang.
Slang is a very fascinating concept. The simplification and changing of a language to make it unique has fascinated me for a while now. Now, knowing about the rich history of the English language and its evolution by the usage of slang, how does this tie back to having W rizz?
Before I get into that, let me do some organization. Today, the focus will be on slang words that have exclusively derived from Gen-Z culture. To organize things even further, let’s separate this first category into “brain rot.” “Brain rot” is a popular term used to refer to words and phrases that have no literal meaning and are just mindless nonsense. A great example of this would be “skibidi.”
The word “skibidi” comes from a YouTube animated series aimed at kids. It means nothing, though. The word has been stripped of its meaning and now is really only used jokingly, mainly as an adjective. If something is “skibidi,” that is just what it is. It is hard to explain. It can mean something is good, bad, funny, or embarrassing. This is why it is in the “brain rot” category. It has no meaning whatsoever.
The next word on the list is “sigma.” This word comes from the male archetype of being stoic, independent, and intelligent. The term “sigma male” has been around for a long time and was used to describe men of high power falling under that umbrella of being the strong silent type. This word blew up in popularity recently, to the point where the majority of people using it were saying it ironically. Nowadays, the word has lost almost all meaning, being used almost interchangeably with “skibidi.” It is another word word with no meaning, melting away the brain.
To leave the “brain rot” territory and start to delve into more common slang words, a good one to look at would be “lock-in.” This one is simple. It simply means to focus in and to work really hard on whatever one is doing.
The opposite of “lock in” is “bed rot.” “Bed rot” means to lay in bed all day and rot away, usually spending a lot of time on a phone or screen of some sort.
Another popular one going around right now is “rizz.” This is another really simple one. It comes from streamer Kai Cenat and he claims that it was just a word that appeared in his friend group’s vocabulary as a kid. It just means an individual’s ability to talk to and romantically attract their preferred gender. An older version of the word could be words like “game” or “play.”
To pair along with “rizz,” the terms “aura” and “mog” are used in close proximity to each other. “Aura” stems from the app TikTok, where it was used to describe people with a mysterious nature. Once again the word was overused and now is really only used ironically. “Mog” is a verb that is used when one-upping somebody, usually in looks or appearance. The word comes from heavy internet use, especially on TikTok.
Alright, this next one is a real doozy. “Cooked” “cook” or “cooking” can be used as a verb or an adjective and can symbolize something being bad or good. Let me explain. If a person “cooks” at something, they are doing good and they are “cooking.” If someone achieved their goal, they “cooked.” Ok, not so bad, right? But there is another use of the word. If one is “cooked,” then that is bad. Basically, if someone is “cooked,” it means the same as not good. If a person gets a bad haircut, they are “cooked” or if someone fails a test, they are “cooked.” This variation of the word can also be interchanged with “chopped.”
These are a handful of words that are being used by the youth today. But be careful because these word’s meanings are always changing as time passes and the English language evolves. Do not be the person who is using out of date slang words.