Abstract: This article examines the approach to neology adopted in the ninth edition of the Académie
française dictionary. How indeed can continuity between editions be maintained with
regard to the proverbial slow pace at which the dictionary is produced? The answer to
this question is the main topic of this paper, which shows in particular that the updating
of correct usage (“le bon usage”) is one of the Academicians’ major preoccupations.
Although the Académie Française is very careful not to condemn specialised vocabulary
too quickly to obsolescence, it has been open to change, in particular to new words. This
has been achieved by tapping into various sources of new words, in particular neologisms,
technical terms, loanwords and linguistic regionalisms.
