‘India in Future Tense’: New dictionary identifies 47 words for 2047

PTI, Dec 11, 2024, 4:44 PM IST

New Delhi: ‘Blue carbon’, ‘Culturnomics’, ‘Digital nomad’, ’15-minute city’ and ‘Flox’ are among the 47 words that made it to a new dictionary, titled “India in Future Tense: 47 Words for 2047”.

The dictionary, which identifies the key trends that will be dominant when India turns 100 in 2047, aims to reflect values that will define the nation’s journey: “inclusivity, sustainability, and technological advancement”.

It is brought out by the United Nations Foundation and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW).

“It is designed to empower young minds with the knowledge and language needed to shape a sustainable and prosperous India by 2047. As we move forward, new nouns, verbs and phrases will be essential to describe our living environment and evolving word,” reads the description of the dictionary, which is a part of the initiative by the ‘Next Generation India Fellows’.

While ‘Blue Carbon’ is the carbon that is absorbed from the atmosphere and stored in the ocean, ‘Culturnomics’ is a portmanteau of culture and economics, which describes the global transmission of culture through varied entertainments such as entertainment, food, sports and more.

Similarly, a ‘Digital nomad’ is someone who uses digital technologies to work remotely while embracing a nomadic lifestyle, a ’15-minute city’ places all essential services within a 15-minute radius of people residing anywhere in the city, whereas ‘Flox’ means a versatile, on-demand shared living space designed for remote workers, offering cutting-edge amenities that enhance well-being and efficiency.

The other highlighted words in the dictionary include ‘Gamification’, ‘Gender bonds’, ‘Heritage hubs’, ‘Jugaad’. ‘Longevity economy’, ‘Neuroqueer’, ‘Osmotic energy’, ‘Plastivore’ and ‘RoboCare’.

“By bridging the gap between technical jargon and practical understanding, this dictionary makes complex concepts accessible and actionable for tomorrow’s leaders. We believe that ‘the only way to predict the future is to shape it’,” it explained .