France, May 17 -- "The new words included in Le Petit Robert reflect the challenges, issues and social concerns of our time, as we create words to describe the world," said Geraldine Moinard, editorial director of the dictionary series, which hit French bookshops this week.

That includes updating French - in which every noun is assigned a feminine or masculine gender, and where masculine is considered the default form - to be more inclusive.

She gave the example of marrainer, the feminine equivalent of parrainer, a verb that means "to sponsor" or "endorse".

A new entry in the 2027 dictionary, it is "a word that has been around for a long time, but which has remained fairly obscure", Moinard told RFI. "It is set to enjoy a resurgence an...