Lucasfilm(LONDON) — Well, it certainly took a while, but some words that were first heard in 1977’s Star Wars have finally been enshrined in the Oxford English Dictionary.
The tome just introduced “Jedi,” as follows: “In the fictional universe of the Star Wars films: a member of an order of heroic, skilled warrior monks who are able to harness the mystical power of the Force.”
On a related note, although “Force” had been previously OED-verified, this “mystical universal energy field” is now also complimented with the new entry “Mind trick,” as in the power of suggestion Force users can employ on the weak minded of certain species. “See also Jedi,” the OED notes on that front.
Other additions include “padawan,” which is a Jedi apprentice being taught by a master — which only came into Star Wars canon in 1999, with Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace — as well as “lightsabre.” The OED defines it as, “a weapon resembling a sword, but having a destructive beam of light in place of a blade.”
It should be noted that the spelling of that “elegant weapon, from a more civilized age” as Obi-Wan Kenobi described it, is given its British spelling in the OED. It has always been referred to as “lightsaber” in the U.S.
Take a look for yourself online.
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