Eminem receives an entry into the Oxford English Dictionary

The rapper has made a permanent contribution to the English language.

Date published: 2nd Jun 2017

Image: Eminem

While he is widely regarded as one of the finest wordsmiths of the 21st century, it may come as a surprise that a phrased coined by rap superstar Eminem has been added to the Oxford Dictionary.

The word 'stan' is now an accepted phrase of the English language, thanks to a Dido collaboration of the same name that dropped in 2000 and saw Eminem describe the experiences of a particularly invested fan, who famously penned letters to the rapper in hope of a reply before driving himself off a bridge in the song's gripping climax.

The term has been officially added as a noun, meaning "an overzealous or obsessive fan of a particular celebrity," the word can be used both as a noun for example "Kendrick Lamar has a load of stans", or as a verb, such as "He stans for Nicki Minaj", both of which are accepted phrases. 

As well as changing the face of language eternally, Eminem enjoys his third headline slot at Reading Festival and Leeds Festival this summer where he will no doubt give an airing to the aforementioned classic track.