Wearing leggings to run errands (… or just every day) is nothing new to us—we’ve all been doing it for as long as we remember. It doesn’t matter whether we’re going to the gym or we’re stuck in the library all day, leggings, yoga pants, joggers and the like are always preferable to skinny jeans. Fortunately, the trend has just surfaced as a high-fashion look, now termed “athleisure.” And finally, the world is validating our choice of comfort over just about anything else—”athleisure” has just been added to the dictionary.
In a recent blog post, Merriam-Webster shared a list of new terms that have been added to their unabridged dictionary, including “athleisure.” Merriam-Webster also pointed out that adding “athleisure” to the vernacular was no snap decision. In fact, tons of planning and research went into their choice. “The new entries and senses offer a kind of snapshot of how exactly our language expands. It doesn’t happen quickly—we monitored many of these words for years before they’d met our criteria for entry—and it’s pushed by various fields and endeavors,” they explained.
While it seems like athleisure has only recently become a major fashion trend, the term was actually coined decades ago—1976 to be exact! Aside from “athleisure,” the dictionary has also added another familiar fashion term: “fit and flare.” All in all, we’re just thrilled that athleisure is finally getting the societal acceptance that it deserves.