When trying to express yourself, you may struggle to come up with the perfect word. It could be a case of lethologica (the technical word for a word being on the tip of your tongue), but sometimes, the right word simply doesn’t exist. The good news is the English language is always evolving, and our collective lexicon has plenty of room for newly coined terms. Some come from pop culture — think “rejoicify” from Wicked or “embiggen” from The Simpsons — while others are concocted by regular people like you and me.

We asked Optimism team members to answer one question: What word do you think should exist? Responses came in with definitions, explanations, and etymological breakdowns. Here are a few words our team would like to see added to the dictionary.

Do you know that satisfying feeling of slipping into a cozy, well-made bed after a long, productive day? We think the perfect word to describe that state would be “somniful,” derived from the Latin prefix somni-, meaning “sleep.” This suggestion comes from Brooke Robinson, Associate Editor of Interesting Facts. She says it describes how she feels as she climbs into bed when the house is clean and she’s freshly showered and ready to be lulled into a deep, restful slumber.

Have you ever felt like you can’t relax and should be out in the world trying to accomplish something? This unsettling feeling could be called “relaxxiety” — a mix of the words “relax” and “anxiety.” Chief Brand Officer Mike Newman suggests it to describe some of the anxieties that many of us often feel. Another anxiety-related proposal is the term “nightxiety” — perfect for when you can’t fall asleep because you’re too stressed about being awake at an ungodly hour.

Sometimes loanwords from other languages make their way into the English language, so we felt it was appropriate to create our own. We turn to German influences to create“bibliothekpanik,” which can be defined as panicking over the sheer number of unread books you see when entering a library. This idea comes from Jennifer Freeman, who’s both a voracious reader and also the editor of Word Smarts. As someone who wants to read more books than there’s time for, Freeman experiences the specific angst of bibliothekpanik often, and suggests a few additional (faux) synonyms: “büchersehnsuchtangst” (taken from the German words for “books,” “deep yearning,” and “angst”) and “leseschuldangst,” which breaks down into “reading,” “guilt” and “fear.”

“Regrot” combines “regret” and “forgotten,” such as when you reminisce about cringy things you did years ago. Nobody likes experiencing regrot, including our Senior Managing Editor Allie Takeda, who came up with the concept. Unfortunately, we all endure regrot from time to time, no matter how much we’d like to forget our embarrassing high school memories.

This suggestion comes from yours truly, a person who would sooner arrive 30 minutes early than risk being five minutes late. “Precrastinate” combines the prefix “pre-,” meaning “before,” and “procrastinate,” which describes the act of putting something off. But if you’re a precrastinator like me, you’re perfectly content to sit in silence for an hour before an event, as long as you won’t miss a moment. In my opinion, it’s better to be early than to wait in long lines and risk getting in after the event has started.

These are just a few of the fun terms that our team came up with, but the sky is the limit. Send us your suggestions for words that you’d like to see added to the dictionary.

No matter how eloquent a speaker or savvy a wordsmith you are, you’re absolutely certain to say something redundant from time to time. In fact, “absolutely certain” is a redundant phrase, as are other common expressions such as “added bonus” and “unexpected surprise.” 

Redundancies can get even sneakier with acronyms, shorthand versions of phrases usually made from the first letter of each word. Sometimes people tack on an extra word to an acronym, but that word is already contained within the acronym itself, which makes it redundant. Here’s a look at 10 of the most common redundant acronyms.

“ATM” stands for “automated (or automatic) teller machine,” which means adding the word “machine” is entirely unnecessary. These cash withdrawal devices date back to the 1960s, though it wasn’t until the mid-1970s that the acronym was commonly used. “ATM” appeared in an October 1975 edition of Changing Times personal finance magazine: “An ATM requires a much smaller investment than the construction of a full-fledged branch office.”

When you visit the ATM, you need to input your PIN number to access your account. But “PIN number” is redundant, given that “PIN” stands for “personal identification number.” PINs were invented back in 1966 (corresponding with the ability to access bank accounts through ATMs and telebanking), and one of the earliest printed examples of the term is redundant. A May 1976 copy of the Lincoln Star advised people to “choose your own PIN number when you establish your Money Service account.”

Many digital screens have liquid crystal displays, a technology that was conceived of in the late 1960s. Often this is abbreviated to just “LCD,” though people often tack on an extra “display” at the end, making it redundant. This acronym first appeared in print in a 1973 electronics magazine, as per the Oxford English Dictionary.

A PDF, or portable document format, is a type of computer file that was developed by Adobe to allow documents to be easily viewed across a wide variety of software and operating systems. There’s no need to say “PDF format,” given that “PDF” by itself is perfectly acceptable. However, in 1992, print appearances of “PDF” referred to “portable document files.” By 1996, “files” had switched to “format.”

DC Comics is known for its classic superheroes Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash. But did you know that “DC” stands for “Detective Comics,” which means that “DC Comics” is redundant? Detective Comics began publishing in 1937, and the name was shortened to just “DC” soon after.

“MLB” stands for “Major League Baseball,” so there’s no need to mention the sport as well. The same applies to any other major American sports league, such as the NFL (National Football League), NHL (National Hockey League), NBA (National Basketball Association), or WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association). In all of these instances, the acronym is more than enough.

“RSVP” is shorthand for the French phrase répondez s’il vous plaît, which translates to “respond, if you please.” Given that knowledge, you’ll understand that saying “RSVP” is enough, and tacking on an extra “please” is unnecessary. The acronym was first used in this context by Londoners around 1825.

Before applying to colleges, high school students usually take the SAT test to determine their educational prowess. But saying “test” might be tarnishing that display, given that “SAT” stands for “Scholastic Aptitude Test.” The SAT started in 1926, though according to the Oxford English Dictionary, printed citations only go as far back as 1961. The exam remains an important part of the college admissions process.

Almost all commercially sold products have a 12-digit barcode on the packaging that can be scanned to bring up the price. This is the UPC (universal product code), so you needn’t refer to it as the “UPC code.” The very first UPC ever scanned was for a pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gum in 1974 — the same year the acronym appeared in print.

We’re not talking about the rock band — we’re talking about alternating current and direct current, which can be shortened to “AC” and “DC,” respectively (although the rock band did reportedly name itself after the electrical currents, due to their electrifying sound). AC was first discovered in the 1830s, and DC was developed by Thomas Edison in the 1870s. Obviously context is key, because it’s easy to confuse “AC” for “air conditioning” or “DC” for the comic book brand. But despite these potential mix-ups, adding on the word “current” will make both acronyms redundant.

Medical dramas are chock-full of interesting jargon, but one urgent request rises above the rest: “Stat!” This term undoubtedly has an air of urgency — but where did it come from? While it might seem like a modern invention, it traces back to the Latin word statim, meaning “immediately.” Let’s look at how “stat” made a centuries-long journey from ancient Rome to today’s email inboxes and hospital rooms.

Latin was adopted early on for most science and medical fields, and statim conveyed a critical need for action. By 1800, the term was being used in medical contexts in English, and the abbreviation “stat” was recorded in the Medical & Physical Journal, used as an adverb to ensure quick execution. This shorthand was a more efficient way to still signal urgency. 

“Stat” as an adjective is demonstrated in a 1963 medical journal example: “I had just given her the stat dose when I noted she began to look jaundiced.” By this time, the original statim had all but disappeared from use.

Also around the mid-20th century, the term jumped from the pages of medical journals to science fiction novels. In Vonda N. McIntyre’s novel Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982), a character demands, “Get a medic up here! Stat!” (Note that the context is still medical, albeit fictional, signaling an awareness of the word’s origin.) From there, “stat” entered everyday language and is now used to indicate any immediate need — even trivial things such as, “I need a coffee, stat!” 

Whether in the dramatic pauses of a medical drama or the lighthearted urgency of a caffeine craving, this Latin loanword retains its centuries-old power, packing a punch when needed.