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There have been 30,000 calls to ditch insulting words for women from the dictionary.
Lexicographers face pressure from campaigners who want sexist words for women stripped from dictionaries. The Oxford University Press is considering updating its Lexicons. Over 30,000 people have signed a petition.
Many people are angry that derogatory words are used including bitch, wench and mare. If you search the online dictionary used by Apple and Google they are listed as an equivalent word for women. A PR consultant started the petition after searching online for the definition of a woman and finding that bitch, besom, piece, bit, mare, baggage wench, petticoat, frail, bird, bint, biddy, and filly according to the online version of the Oxford English Dictionary tells us means the same as a woman. She believes that the dictionary is sexist and must change.
OUP editors replied that they appreciate feedback but their dictionaries reflect rather than dictate how language is used. So we include terms that may often be considered pejorative or have negative historical associations.
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