Every year the Oxford English Dictionary adds new words from the modern lexicon to their illustrious index. However what gets lost in the shuffle of excitement over the official (and rather hilarious) addition of words like “sexting” and “mankini” is the undignified and rather confusing removal of the term “cassette tape.”

The English language is a constantly evolving and and endlessly confusing language. Unprecedented access to new technology like smartphones and the advent of social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter have created a wave of new terminology that has become ever-present in our lives. For example, the word “Like” has gone from one of the most mundane words in the English language to one of the most irreplaceable (yet still dull), simply because of the desperate need for approval via social networking.

But why remove a term that is still very much a part of today’s lexicon? Music and movies have changed drastically over the course of the past two decades since the arrival of CDs, DVDs, Mp3s and Blue Ray discs, however that doesn’t mean cassette tapes should be wiped from the record book. I understand the Oxford English Dictionary isn’t a history book, but people still use cassette tapes—they aren’t simply a source of nostalgia for the forgotten 80s and early 90s. Some indie record labels still release cassette tapes (accompanied by with a digital download) for the novelty factor. Even if the technology isn’t used as frequently as in the past it’s still part of the world in which we live. Just because the average 7-year-old doesn’t know what it is doesn’t mean it should be removed from the dictionary.

Personally, I don’t entirely understand the removal of any words from the Oxford English Dictionary. What’s the problem—too many words? The Oxford English Dictionary is biggest book I’ve ever seen. It seems like a arbitrary task to remove words from the English language. There are thousands of words in the Oxford English dictionary that people will never say over the course of their entire lives, yet “cassette tape” is being relegated to the trash heap?

Car manufacturers were still installing cassette decks in cars as recently as 2010. My dad and I still use the tape deck in his 1998 Maxima for our cassette tape adapter for our iPods. It’s not as though cassettes are some archaic form of technology. The guillotine is a rather outdated and unused form of technology, but I haven’t heard any talk of it being removed from the Oxford English Dictionary. And why should it? It’s a part of our history books and holds cultural importance.

The people at Oxford apparently consider the boombox to have zero cultural significance, forgetting that it was a dominating force in 1980s and 90s culture. Apparently, it also doesn’t matter that the term “mixtape,” which has taken on new meaning in the rap community, is still rooted in the practice of recording your own favorite songs from the radio — on a cassette tape.

I’ve never worn a mankini. I’ve never uttered the “word” “woot” to express joy or excitement. And I plead the fifth on sexting. But I’ll never forget playing Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” on cassette tape in my mom’s red Nissan as we waited on line to get the car inspected.

Tonight, I’ll pour a little liquor out for our fallen noun.