Meghan Markle, wife of Prince Harry and a member of the British royal family, has been in the news recently. The couple shocked the world recently that they would no longer work as royals and would leave the royal family. The announcement from Buckingham Palace also stated that Harry and Meghan would no longer use the titles “royal highness”. What is the reason for the royal exit? According to Harry, their decision was “the only option for them to move forward to achieve a peaceful life”. Supporters of Meghan Markle have blamed racism as the reason for the couple to take the decision of being away from the royal family. This royal exit has given birth to new words: ‘Meghan Markle’ (used as a verb) and ‘Megxit’.
Look at these headlines from leading newspapers in the world:
To ‘Meghan Markle’ is now a verb (New York Post)
‘To Meghan Markle’ is now a verb – here’s how to use it (The Guardian)
Don’t Meghan Markle me: The internet’s brand new slang (Hindustan Times)
What does ‘to Meghan Markle’ mean? As a verb it means to take care of one’s mental health. The name was used as a verb by Twitter user @_RyanJesse. In his tweet, he explains what the name as a verb means and how it is used. “Meghan Markle, a verb, past tense: Meghan Markled, to Meghan Markle – to value yourself and mental health enough to up and leave a room/situation/environment in which your authentic self is not welcomed or wanted.” Here are examples of how the verb is used in sentences:
Unless you Meghan Markle, you won’t lead a peaceful life.
It is good they have realised the importance of their well-being and Meghan Markled.
What does ‘Megxit’ mean? Obviously, ‘Megxit’ rhymes with ‘Brexit’. Brexit, which means British Exit or Britain exiting the European Union, is a very commonly used term not only in Britain but in other countries too. Similarly, ‘Megxit’ means Meghan Markle exiting the British royal family. Though it has not been officially announced as a new word, it is used in both mainstream and social media. It was even reported by many portals that “social media engagement for #Megxit increased by 24,829%.”
Meghan Markle has not spoken to Kate Middleton since Megxit (www.dailymail.co.uk)
Harry, Meghan and the disturbing origins of ‘Megxit’ (www.mercurynews.com)
The Urban Dictionary (UD) used ‘Meghan Markle’ as a verb with a different meaning. It portrays the Duchess of Sussex very negatively. A year ago, the UD added a new verb after Meghan Markle and it is used to mean ‘to ghost or dispose (of) people once you have no use or benefit from them any more without any regard to genuine human relationships’. It is based on newspaper reports that Meghan dropped contacts with some members of her family and also her friends once she became the Duchess of Sussex and attained fame. The verb ‘to do a Meghan Markle’ has also been used in some media reports.
