Question

Check the words you think are new additions to our language (in the last 500 years). If you need help, use your dictionary after you have tried. Hint: new words may have no etymology listed or may list a scientific origin and date.

mountain
X ray
nylon
horse
subway
supercharge
leather
laser
pitcher
book

Answer 1

Here’s a quick check of which words on your list are likely new additions to English in the last ~500 years (i.e., since about 1526). For each I give a short etymology / first‑known‑use note and say whether it’s likely “new” in that 500‑year window.

1. mountain — Old (not new)
- From Old French montagne, ultimately Latin montanea / mons. Present in English since Middle English. Not a recent addition.

2. X ray (x‑ray) — New (post‑1526)
- Discovered by Wilhelm Röntgen in 1895; the term “X‑ray” (English) is attested from the 1890s. Definitely a modern coinage.

3. nylon — New (post‑1526)
- Trade name / chemical name coined in the 1930s by DuPont for the synthetic polymer (patented / publicized mid‑ to late‑1930s). Modern word.

4. horse — Old (not new)
- From Old English hors; very ancient.

5. subway — New (post‑1526)
- Compound from sub + way. The sense “underground passage/underground railway” is 19th century (Victorian/industrial era). It is a modern addition relative to 500 years ago.

6. supercharge — New (post‑1526)
- A productive compound (super‑ + charge). The specific technical/automotive sense (“to force more air into an engine,” related to the invention of superchargers) and the verb sense date to the late 19th / early 20th century. Considered a modern formation.

7. leather — Old (not new)
- From Old English/Old Germanic root; ancient.

8. laser — New (post‑1526)
- Acronym (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) coined in the 1950s and popularized in the 1960s. Definitely modern.

9. pitcher — Old (not new) — (but see note)
- As “jug”: from Middle English (Old French/Medieval Latin roots), so not new.
- As the baseball position “pitcher,” that sense is a 19th‑century American usage (so that sense is new).

10. book — Old (not new)
- From Old English boc; very ancient.

Summary (words likely added within last 500 years): X‑ray, nylon, subway, supercharge, laser. Also the sense “pitcher” meaning a baseball player is a 19th‑century (i.e., modern) sense though the jug meaning is old.

If you’d like, I can look up precise dictionary citations/first‑attested dates (OED or Merriam‑Webster) for each item.