‘Plant-based’ and ‘oat milk’ Added to Merriam-Webster Dictionary!

Merriam-Webster dictionary adds new words every few months, and it just added the terms, 'plant-based' and 'oat milk'.

In order to find words to add to the dictionary, its editors keep an eye on social media, as well as more traditional media outlets, including websites and national newspapers.

A word will be considered if it is widely used, and its meaning is agreed upon by people using it.

Merriam-Webster’s inclusion of vegan and environmental-centric terms therefore suggests their growing cultural significance.
Dictionary definitions

According to Merriam-Webster, plant-based means: “made or derived from plants 2 : consisting primarily or entirely of food (such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, oils, and beans) derived from plants.”

Meanwhile, oat milk is defined as: “a liquid made from ground oats and water that is usually fortified (as with calcium and vitamins) and used as a milk substitute.”

"Plant-Based" and Veganism

I keep hearing people say they are "plant-based". This term is so ambiguous. It really means nothing. People who eat meat also eat vegetables, and frankly, although I'm a vegan, my partner Jeffrey who eats meat, eats much more veggies than I do, and you can truthfully, correctly say that his diet IS plant-based, as he eats more plant foods than meat.


But from my understanding, these "plant-based" people claim to not eat meat as well--at least that's what they want you to assume, but sorry, they are not making sense. The word "based" means that's your foundation, major source of something; it doesn't meant that's all you eat. A big meat eater can also be called a plant-based person, as long as they mostly eat plants as the foundation of their diet.


I once informed a self titled "plant-based" blogger but I think she remained clueless as to what I said. Whatever, but if a person is going to call themselves something and shout it out proudly in public (even to a degree of sounding holier-than-thou), they shouldn't be surprised if they are corrected in public--because of their ignorance--by telling them the correct definition of "based".


Speaking of terms being defined incorrectly, it seems to me people have forgotten what the word vegan actually means. I was reading a blogger today and she posted:


"I went vegetarian on-and-off until I was 19 years old – I gave up meat for good and became a vegan not long after.As with many vegans, I thought the ethical choice was simple – don’t kill other things to eat them, don’t eat the products of animals cruelly confined and exploited for food. While animal rights are a good starting point, a truly ethical diet must take other factors into consideration. Plant-based diets are touted as being an environmentally-friendly choice..."





I replied this to her:


Veganism IS about being environmentally-friendly–always have been. Also veganism is about wearing cruelty-free clothing, and buying cruelty-free cosmetics, preferably from cruelty-free companies.

Veganism has ALWAYS been about all these things almost since the word vegan came into existence. I really don’t know why it’s been in the last decade or so that people tend to look at veganism as just what you put in your mouth.

I’m old-school; I’ve been a vegan since 1982 and back then, when a person said they are vegan, you automatically KNOW that means they are food/clothing/all products/environmentally cruelty-free. Now, it seems like one has to say they are “Ethical” vegans to define this, as oppose to “dietary” vegans or “environmental” vegans.

If a person ever said to me, "I'm plant-based", I'm going to say, "Oh. But do you still eat meat?" Plant-based is a meaningless name. This is why I love saying I'm vegan. There's no confusion. No bull. It's an original, meaningful name.


I think some people need to dust off their dictionaries and get reacquainted with it.