What was the word of the year in 2000

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The word(s) of the year, sometimes capitalized as «Word(s) of the Year» and abbreviated «WOTY» (or «WotY«), refers to any of various assessments as to the most important word(s) or expression(s) in the public sphere during a specific year.

The German tradition, Wort des Jahres was started in 1971. The American Dialect Society’s Word of the Year is the oldest English-language version, and the only one that is announced after the end of the calendar year, determined by a vote of independent linguists, and not tied to commercial interest.^{[citation needed]} However, various other organizations also announce Words of the Year for a variety of purposes.

American Dialect Society[edit]

Since 1990, the American Dialect Society (ADS) has designated one or more words or terms to be the «Word of the Year» in the United States.
List of American Dialect Society’s Words of the Year
In addition to the «Word of the Year», the society also selects words in other categories that vary from year to year. These categories have occurred in several years:

• Most useful
• Most creative
• Most unnecessary
• Most outrageous
• Most euphemistic
• Most likely to succeed
• Least likely to succeed

Australian National Dictionary Centre[edit]

The Australian National Dictionary Centre has announced a Word of the Year each since 2006. The word is chosen by the editorial staff, and is selected on the basis of having come to some prominence in the Australian social and cultural landscape during the year.^[1] The Word of the Year is often reported in the media as being Australia’s word of the year,^[2][3] but the word is not always an Australian word.

Year	Word
2006	podcast
2007	me-tooism
2008	GFC
2009	twitter
2010	vuvuzela
2011
2012	green-on-blue
2013	bitcoin
2014	shirtfront
2015	sharing economy
2016	democracy sausage
2017	Kwaussie
2018	Canberra bubble
2019	Voice
2020	iso
2021	strollout
2022	teal

Cambridge Dictionary[edit]

The Cambridge Dictionary Word of the Year, by Cambridge University Press & Assessment, has been published every year since 2015.^[4] 

The Cambridge Word of the Year is led by the data — what users look up — in the world’s most popular dictionary for English language learners^[5]. 

In 2022, the Cambridge Word of the Year was ‘homer’, caused by Wordle players looking up five-letter words, especially those that non-American players were less familiar with.^[6] 

In 2021, the Cambridge Dictionary Word of the Year was ‘perseverance’.^[7] In 2020, ‘quarantine’.^[8]

YEAR
2015	austerity
2016	paranoid
2017	populism
2018	nomophobia
2019	upcycling
2020	quarantine
2021	perserverance
2022	homer

Collins English Dictionary[edit]

The Collins English Dictionary has announced a Word of the Year every year since 2013, and prior to this, announced a new ‘word of the month’ each month in 2012. Published in Glasgow, UK, Collins English Dictionary has been publishing English dictionaries since 1819.^[9]

Toward the end of each calendar year, Collins release a shortlist of notable words or those that have come to prominence in the previous 12 months. The shortlist typically comprises ten words, though in 2014 only four words were announced as the Word of the Year shortlist.

The Collins Words of the Year are selected by the Collins Dictionary team across Glasgow and London, consisting of lexicographers, editorial, marketing, and publicity staff, though previously the selection process has been open to the public.

Whilst the word is not required to be new to feature, the appearance of words in the list is often supported by usage statistics and cross-reference against Collins’ extensive corpus to understand how language may have changed or developed in the previous year. The Collins Word of the Year is also not restricted to UK language usage, and words are often chosen that apply internationally as well, for example, fake news in 2017.^[10]

Year	Word of the Year	Definition	Shortlist
2013	Geek[11]	If you call someone, usually a man or boy, a geek, you are saying in an unkind way that they are stupid, awkward, or weak.[12]	Twerking[13] Bitcoin[14] Phablet[15] Plebgate[16] Fracker[17] Cybernat[18] Thigh gap[19] Olinguito[20] Black Friday[21] Payday lending[22] Harlem Shake[23]
2014	Photobomb[24]	If you photobomb someone, you spoil a photograph of them by stepping in front of them as the photograph is taken, often doing something silly such as making a funny face.[25]	Tinder[26] Bakeoff[27] Normcore[28] Devo Max[29]
2015	Binge-watch[30]	If you binge-watch a television series, you watch several episodes one after another in a short time.[31]	Dadbod[32] Shaming[32] Corbynomics[32] Clean eating[32] Ghosting[32] Swipe[32] Contactless[32] Manspreading[32] Transgender[32]
2016	Brexit[33]	The withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union in January 2020.[34]	Hygge[35] Mic drop[36] Trumpism[37] Throw shade[38] Sharenting[39] Snowflake generation[40] Dude food[41] Uberization[42] JOMO[43]
2017	Fake news[44]	False, often sensational, information disseminated under the guise of news reporting.[45]	Antifa[46] Corbynmania[47] Cuffing season[48] Echo chamber[49] Fidget spinner[50] Gender-fluid[51] Gig economy[52] Insta[53] Unicorn[54]
2018	Single-use[55]	Made to be used once only.[56]	Backstop[55][57] Floss[55][57] Gammon[55][57] Gaslight[55][57] MeToo[55][57] Plogging[55][57] VAR[55][57] Vegan[55][57] Whitewash[55][57]
2019	Climate strike[58]	A form of protest in which people absent themselves from education or work to join demonstrations demanding action to counter climate change.[59]	Bopo[60] Cancel Deepfake Double down Entryist Hopepunk Influencer Nonbinary Rewilding
2020	Lockdown[58]	If there is a lockdown, people must stay at home unless they need to go out for certain reasons, such as going to work, buying food or taking exercise.	Lockdown[61] Coronavirus[62] BLM[63] Key worker[64] Furlough[65] Self-isolate[66] Social distancing[67] Megxit[68] TikToker[69] Mukbang[70]
2021	NFT[71]	A digital certificate of ownership of a unique asset, such as an artwork or a collectible.	Climate anxiety Double-vaxxed Metaverse Pingdemic Cheugy Crypto Hybrid working Neopronoun Regencycore
2022	Permacrisis[72]	An extended period of instability and insecurity, esp one resulting from a series of catastrophic events.

Macquarie Dictionary[edit]

The Macquarie Dictionary, which is the dictionary of Australian English, updates the online dictionary each year with new words, phrases, and definitions. These can be viewed on their website.^[73]

Each year the editors select a short-list of new words added to the dictionary and invite the public to vote on their favourite. The public vote is held in January and results in the People’s Choice winner. The most influential word of the year is also selected by the Word of the Year Committee which is chaired by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sydney, Dr Michael Spence. The Editor of the Macquarie Dictionary, Susan Butler, is also a committee member. The Committee meets annually to select the overall winning words.

The following is the list of winning words since the Macquarie Word of the Year first began in 2006:

Year	Committee’s Choice	People’s Choice
2006	muffin top	(No overall winner. See Macquarie website for category winners)
2007	pod slurping	password fatigue
2008	toxic debt	flashpacker
2009	shovel ready	tweet
2010	googleganger	shockumentary
2011	burqini	fracking
2012	phantom vibration syndrome	First World problem
2013	infovore[74]	onesie
2014	mansplain[75]	shareplate
2015	captain’s call[76]	captain’s call[77]
2016	fake news	halal snack pack
2017	milkshake duck[78][79]	framily[80]
2018	me too[81][82]	single-use[83]
2019	cancel culture	robodebt
2020	doomscrolling, rona	Karen
2021	strollout[84]	strollout
2022	teal	bachelor’s handbag[85]

Merriam-Webster[edit]

The lists of Merriam-Webster’s Words of the Year (for each year) are ten-word lists published annually by the American dictionary-publishing company Merriam-Webster, Inc., which feature the ten words of the year from the English language. These word lists started in 2003 and have been published at the end of each year. At first, Merriam-Webster determined its contents by analyzing page hits and popular searches on its website. Since 2006, the list has been determined by an online poll and by suggestions from visitors to the website.^[86]

The following is the list of words that became Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year since 2003:^[87]

• 2003: democracy
• 2004: blog
• 2005: integrity
• 2006: truthiness
• 2007: w00t
• 2008: bailout
• 2009: admonish
• 2010: austerity
• 2011: pragmatic
• 2012: socialism and capitalism
• 2013: science
• 2014: culture
• 2015: -ism
• 2016: surreal
• 2017: feminism^[88]
• 2018: justice
• 2019: they
• 2020: pandemic^[89]
• 2021: vaccine^[90]
• 2022: gaslighting

Oxford[edit]

Oxford University Press, which publishes the Oxford English Dictionary and many other dictionaries, announces an Oxford Dictionaries UK Word of the Year and an Oxford Dictionaries US Word of the Year; sometimes these are the same word. The Word of the Year need not have been coined within the past twelve months but it does need to have become prominent or notable during that time. There is no guarantee that the Word of the Year will be included in any Oxford dictionary. The Oxford Dictionaries Words of the Year are selected by editorial staff from each of the Oxford dictionaries. The selection team is made up of lexicographers and consultants to the dictionary team, and editorial, marketing, and publicity staff.^[91]

Year	UK Word of the Year	US Word of the Year	Hindi Word of the Year
2004	chav
2005	sudoku	podcast
2006	bovvered	carbon-neutral
2007	carbon footprint	locavore
2008	credit crunch	hypermiling
2009	simples (Compare the Meerkat catchphrase)	unfriend
2010	big society	refudiate
2011	squeezed middle
2012	omnishambles	GIF (noun)
2013	selfie[92]
2014	vape[93]
2015	😂 (Face With Tears of Joy, Unicode: U+1F602, part of emoji)[94]
2016	post-truth[95]
2017	youthquake[96]	Aadhaar[a]
2018	toxic[98]	Nari Shakti or Women Power[99]
2019	climate emergency[100]	Samvidhaan or Constitution[101]
2020	No single word chosen[102]	Aatmanirbharta or Self-Reliance[103]
2021	vax[104]
2022	goblin mode[105][106]

Grant Barrett[edit]

Since 2004, lexicographer Grant Barrett has published a words-of-the-year list, usually in The New York Times, though he does not name a winner.

• 2004
• 2005
• 2006
• 2007
• 2008
• 2009
• 2010
• 2011
• 2012
• 2013 in New York Times, also a more complete list
• 2014 in Dallas Morning News

Dictionary.com[edit]

In 2010, Dictionary.com announced its first word of the year, ‘change’, and has done so in December every year since.^[107] The selection is based on search trends on the site throughout the year and the news events that drive them.^[108]

The following is the list of annual words since beginning with the first in 2010:^[107]

• 2010: Change
• 2011: Tergiversate
• 2012: Bluster
• 2013: Privacy
• 2014: Exposure
• 2015: Identity
• 2016: Xenophobia
• 2017: Complicit
• 2018: Misinformation
• 2019: Existential^[109]
• 2020: Pandemic
• 2021: Allyship
• 2022: Woman

Similar word lists[edit]

A Word a Year[edit]

Since 2004, Susie Dent, an English lexicographer has published a column, «A Word a Year», in which she chooses a single word from each of the last 101 years to represent preoccupations of the time. Susie Dent notes that the list is subjective.^{[110][111][112]} Each year, she gives a completely different set of words.

Since Susie Dent works for the Oxford University Press, her words of choice are often incorrectly referred to as «Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the Year».

Other countries[edit]

In Germany, a Wort des Jahres has been selected since 1972 (for year 1971) by the Society of the German Language.^[113] In addition, an Unwort des Jahres (Un-word of the year or No-no Word of the Year) has been nominated since 1991, for a word or phrase in public speech deemed insulting or socially inappropriate (such as «Überfremdung»).^[114] Similar selections are made each year since 1999 in Austria, 2002 in Liechtenstein, and 2003 in Switzerland. Since 2008, language publisher Langenscheidt supports a search for the German youth word of the year, which aims to find new words entering the language through the vernacular of young people.^[115][116]

In Denmark, the Word of the year has been selected since 2008 by Danmarks Radio and Dansk Sprognævn.

In Japan, the Kanji of the year (kotoshi no kanji) has been selected since 1995. Kanji are adopted Chinese characters in Japanese language. Japan also runs an annual word of the year contest called » U-Can New and Trendy Word Grand Prix» (U-Can shingo, ryūkōgo taishō) sponsored by Jiyu Kokuminsha. Both the kanji and word/phrases of the year are often reflective of Japanese current events and attitudes. For example, in 2011 following the Fukushima power plant disaster, the frustratingly enigmatic phrase used by Japanese officials before the explosion regarding the possibility of meltdown – «the possibility of recriticality is not zero» (Sairinkai no kanōsei zero de wa nai) – became the top phrase of the year. In the same year, the kanji indicating ‘bond’ (i.e. familial bond or friendship) became the kanji of the year, expressing the importance of collectiveness in the face of disaster.^[117]

In Norway, the Word of the year poll is carried out since 2012.

In Portugal, the Word of the year poll is carried out since 2009.

In Russia, the Word of the year poll is carried out since 2007.

In Spain, the Word of the year is carried out by Fundéu since 2013.

In Ukraine, the Word of the year poll is carried out since 2013.

See also[edit]

• Language Report from Oxford University Press
• Lists of Merriam-Webster’s Words of the Year
• Neologism
• Doublespeak Award
• Kanji of the year

Further reading[edit]

• John Ayto, «A Century of New Words», Series: Oxford Paperback Reference (2007) ISBN 0-19-921369-0
• John Ayto, «Twentieth Century Words», Oxford University Press (1999) ISBN 0-19-860230-8

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Top words from 2000 – present @ Global Language Monitor
• Word of the Year Archive @ Macquarie Dictionary
• Word of the Year Archive @ Merriam-Webster
• Word of the Year Archive @ OxfordWords blog
• Austrian Word of the Year
• Canadian Word of the Year
• Liechtenstein Word of the Year
• Switzerland Word of the Year
• Dictionary.com word of the year @ Dictionary.com

Words are fun, finicky, and ever-evolving. As time goes by, new words make their way into common usage and old words take on new meanings. Each year, there’s one term that stands out the most. That’s why the American Dialect Society (ADS), an organization that’s «dedicated to the study of the English language in North America, and of other languages, or dialects of other languages, influencing it or influenced by it,» annually chooses a word or phrase to highlight. It may be important for political or pop culture reasons; it could be one that’s way out of use today or one that’s getting increasingly popular. From its inaugural winner in 1990, here is every ADS Word of the Year through today. And for more to appreciate, here are The 50 Most Beautiful Words in the English Language—And How to Use Them.

In 1988, George H.W. Bush delivered a speech at the Republican National Convention in which he told the crowd, «Read my lips: no new taxes.» That promise was broken, and «bushlips» (as in bush lips) made its way into popular language as a way to describe «insincere political rhetoric,» according to the ADS. They chose it as their word of the year in 1990.

And fascinating regional dialects, here are 60 Words People Pronounce Differently Across America.

The word of the year in 1991 was actually a collection of words that made up what you might consider a momentum-building prefix. Add «mother of all» to whatever you’re referring to and it immediately makes it the greatest, biggest, or most impressive example of something. To bring the phrase into today’s world, the mother of all Instagrammable cafés is the most social media-worthy eatery around.

The only time you’re likely to hear someone use the expression «not!» nowadays is if they’re dressing up as a Wayne’s World character for Halloween. However, in 1992, it was the word of the year (with the exclamation mark included for needed emphasis, of course).

And for more indelible expressions from the decade, here are 30 Movie Quotes Every ’90s Kid Knows by Heart.

In 1993, «information superhighway» was the term to use when referring to modern communication methods. And while these days you might be talking about texts or FaceTiming, in 1993, data was shared primarily via computers, televisions, and telephones.

In 1994, «cyber» («pertaining to computers and electronic communication») was named the word of the year—but it wasn’t alone. The ADS called a tie, also choosing «morph» («to change form») as one of the top words of those particular 12 months.

And for some out-of-date words that used to be all the rage, here are 150 Slang Terms From the 20th Century No One Uses Anymore.

The tie of 1994 was the first time the ADS chose two terms as the co-words of the year, but it wasn’t the last. It may be hard to imagine life without the internet today, but in 1995, surfing the «world wide web» was still new and thrilling. That’s why it was the word of the year, as was «newt,» which refers to the act of «mak[ing] aggressive changes as a newcomer.»

In 1996, soccer moms weren’t just women who were taking their kids to sports practices—they were an entire demographic that was identified as a «newly significant type of voter,» according to the ADS. That’s why «mom,» taken from soccer mom, was chosen as the word of the year.

And for terms you’ve been pretending to understand, here are 50 Words You Hear Every Day But Don’t Know What They Mean.

«Millennium bug» was widely used to refer to a tech-related glitch that supposedly threatened to shut down computers (and everything run by computers) if the devices weren’t able to handle the rare change in date when January 1, 2000 rolled around. Of course, it turned out to be unwarranted anxiety. But the fear—and the phrase—were very real.

The word of the year in 1998 wasn’t a word at all. It was part of a word. Or, to be more exact, it was a prefix. Short for electronic, «e-» became the ADS’s word of the year since it was being widely used in terms like «e-mail» and «e-commerce.»

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As the world prepared for the new millennium, the term «Y2K» (which stands for the year 2000) became all the rage. Fittingly the ADS’s word of the year for 1999, the term was widely used to refer to the Y2K bug or Y2K scare, which was another name for the millennium bug.

If you think of the term «chad» solely as a man’s name today, you’re not alone. But in the year 2000, the presidential election controversy led to the ADS choosing it for the meaning «a small scrap of paper punched from a voting card.»

In 2001, the United States suffered one of the deadliest attacks within its borders on Sept. 11, a date that was chosen as the word of the year. The infamous day that is now a part of the darker side of the country’s history also became known as 9-11 and 9/11.

It’s certainly a sad situation when «weapons of mass destruction» (or WMD) is chosen as the word of the year. But that was what happened in 2002 when the United States attempted to track down possible chemical and biological weapons as well as nuclear bombs in Iraq.

At the turn of the century, the world was finally ready to recognize and embrace the «metrosexual,» a man who cared about his appearance and was savvy about style. In 2003, it became the ADS’s word of the year.

Nearly 15 years later, The Telegraph claimed that the «metrosexual is dead—and a new kind of sensitive man killed him,» one who appreciates a «greater depth and meaning» and «place[s] the highest value on dependability, reliability, honesty, and loyalty.» We can all get behind that, right?

Political divisions in America are represented by two varying colors, which is why «red/blue/purple states» was the popular term in 2004 to identify which areas leaned a certain way. The American Dialect Society explains that «red favor[s] conservative Republicans and blue favor[s] liberal Democrats,» while those who are undecided are considered purple. Americans are much more used to hearing these terms today.

There’s the truth and then there’s «truthiness,» which is a term that «refers to the quality of seeming to be true but not necessarily or actually true according to known facts,» according to Merriam-Webster. The American Dialect Society chose «truthiness» as their word of the year in 2005 after it was popularized by Stephen Colbert and his right-wing parody show The Colbert Report, which launched that year.

Pluto has gone through a wild ride over the years in terms of classification. Once considered a planet, it was demoted when it no longer met the necessary criteria (something that is still being debated). And in 2006, the term «plutoed» was the word to use if you wanted to make a comparison between the spacial body and something else that had lost status or wasn’t being valued. Poor Pluto.

The word «subprime» is pretty self-explanatory—it’s something that’s, well, not exactly the best. When it comes to investments, specifically real estate, subprime is what you’d call a loan or deal that’s iffy or risky. And in 2007, buyers, sellers, and property flippers were all dealing with the Subprime Mortgage Crisis that hit the United States, which is why it became the word of the year.

When the government helps out a failing business, it’s called a bailout. And as you may recall in 2008, U.S. Congress approved a $700 billion Wall Street bailout that dominated headlines, hence ADS choosing it.

Twitter launched in 2006, and by January 2009, users were sending two million messages a day over the social media platform. That’s why the top word that year from the ADS was «tweet,» which can refer to either the action of sending text on the platform or the actual message itself.

An app is certainly not an unusual thing these days, but in 2010, it was a word that was newly buzzing. At the time, Ben Zimmer, chair of the New Words Committee of the American Dialect Society, noted, «With millions of dollars of marketing muscle behind the slogan ‘There’s an app for that,’ plus the arrival of ‘app stores’ for a wide spectrum of operating systems for phones and computers, app really exploded.» Hence it being crowned the word of the year at the close of one decade and the start of a new one.

Politics was at the forefront of the conversation in 2011 when «occupy» was selected as the word of the year. At the time, the Occupy Wall Street protest movement was ongoing, putting a spotlight on financial institutions and the economic inequality between the wildly wealthy one percent of the population and the other 99.

«Hashtag»—which is represented with the «#» and which Merriam-Webster calls a «symbol before a word or phrase [that’s] meant to be used on social media as a way to track certain terms»—was the word of the year in 2012. Zimmer explained the choice, saying, «In the Twittersphere and elsewhere, hashtags have created instant social trends, spreading bite-sized viral messages on topics ranging from politics to pop culture.»

«Because» is a term that was chosen as the word of the year due to the fact that people were using it in a slightly modified way in 2013. Instead of having to say «because of [insert reasoning here],» we could now drop the «of.» Confused? Here’s an example: Instead of saying «I an ate apple because I’m hungry,» you can say, «I ate an apple because hunger.» Or, instead of saying, «I need an umbrella because it’s raining,» you can say, «I need an umbrella because rain.» And if you don’t want to explain yourself at all, you can simply tell someone that you’ve done something «because reasons.»

In 2012, «hashtag» may have been recognized for its significance, but two years later, an actual hashtag was selected as the word of the year. Due to heightened awareness of the treatment of Black people by police and authority figures, #blacklivesmatter «became a rallying cry and vehicle for expressing protest» and was selected as the most significant word of the year in 2014.

«They» is certainly not a new word and isn’t one that only recently became commonly used. However, the way it’s used has changed in recent years. Once meant to refer to a group of individuals, it’s now also a way to identify a single person who is gender non-conforming or nonbinary and chooses not to use gender-specific pronouns.

Judging by the ADS’s word of the year, 2016 was a rough 12 months. «Dumpster fire»—which refers to «an exceedingly disastrous or chaotic situation»—was the term the ADS chose as the one that «best represent[ed] the public discourse and preoccupations of the past year.» And while it may have been the (dire) word of choice a few years ago, it’s still regularly used today.

In the age of the 24-hour news cycle and far-reaching social media platforms, it can be difficult to sort through what information is accurate and what is not. The past few years have seen real facts attacked and dismissed by some in an effort to deny, confuse, or misdirect others. So it’s no surprise the term «fake news» was deemed the word of the year in 2017.

The word of the year for 2018 was one that stems from a sad reality that has manifested within the United States. According to the ADS, the term «tender-age shelter/facility/camp» first emerged in June 2018 when it was reported that infants and young children were being held in special detention centers after being separated from their families who crossed over the southern border.»

Returning to the cultural shift that prompted 2015’s Word of the Year, the ADS chose «(my) pronouns» as the term that defined 2019. As awareness of differing gender identities has grown, it’s become more common for individuals of all genders to list their pronouns in e-signatures and bios, as well as to offer them verbally.

«When a basic part of speech like the pronoun becomes a vital indicator of social trends, linguists pay attention,» Zimmer explained in the ADS announcement. «The selection of ‘(my) pronouns’ as Word of the Year speaks to how the personal expression of gender identity has become an increasing part of our shared discourse.» In addition, the singular form of «they» was chosen as the Word of the Decade.

Самое важное слово или выражение в общественной сфере в течение определенного года

Слово ( s) года, иногда с заглавной буквы как «Слово (я) года » и сокращенно «WOTY » (или «WotY »), относится к любой из различных оценок наиболее важных слов или выражений в публичной сфере в течение определенного года.

Немецкая традиция, Wort des Jahres, была начата в 1971 году. Слово года Американского диалектного общества является старейшей англоязычной версией, а только один, который объявляется после окончания календарного года, определяемого голосованием независимых лингвистов и не привязанного к коммерческим интересам. Однако различные другие организации также объявляют «Слова года» для различных целей.

Содержание

• 1 Американское диалектное общество
  • 1.1 Выбор
  • 1.2 Категории
    • 1.2.1 Самые полезные
    • 1.2.2 Самые креативные
    • 1.2.3 Самые ненужные
    • 1.2. 4 Наиболее возмутительное
    • 1.2.5 Наиболее эвфемистическое
    • 1.2.6 С наибольшей вероятностью успеха
    • 1.2.7 Наименьшее вероятность успеха
    • 1.2.8 Особые категории
• 2 Австралийский национальный словарь-центр
• 3 Collins English Dictionary
• 4 Macquarie Dictionary
• 5 Merriam-Webster
• 6 Oxford
• 7 Grant Barrett
• 8 Dictionary.com
• 9 Списки похожих слов
  • 9.1 Одно слово в год
  • 9.2 Другие страны
• 10 См. Также
• 11 Дополнительная литература
• 12 Ссылки
• 13 Внешние ссылки

Американское общество диалектов

С 1991 года американский диалект Общество (ADS) определило одно или несколько слов или терминов как «Слово года» в США

1990: bushlips (аналогично «чушь «- проистекает из президентского Джорджа Буша-старшего 1988 г.» Прочтите мои губы: никаких новых налогов «нарушенное обещание) 1991: мать всего (как в предсказании Саддама Хусейна «Мать всех сражений «) 1992: Не ! (что означает «шучу») 1993: информационная супермагистраль 1994: кибер, преобразование (изменить форма) 1995: web и (to) newt (чтобы действовать агрессивно как новичок, например, Speaker Newt Gingrich во время Contract with America ) 1996: мама (как в «футбольная мама «) 1997: ошибка тысячелетия 1998: электронная почта (как в« электронная почта «или» электронная коммерция «) 1999: Y2K 2000: chad (из разногласий на президентских выборах 2000 года во Флориде ) 2001 :9-11 2002:оружие массового уничтожения (ОМУ) 2003: метросексуал 2004: красный штат, синий штат, фиолетовый штат (из президентских выборов 2004 года в США ) 2005: правдивость (популяризировано на The Colbert Report ) 2006: plu toed (понижен или обесценен, как это случилось с бывшей планетой Плутон) 2007: subprime (прилагательное, используемое для описания рискованной или не идеальной ссуды, ипотеки или инвестиции)

2008: спасение (в конкретном смысле спасения правительством компаний, находящихся на грани банкротства, включая крупных игроков в банковской сфере) 2009: твит (короткое своевременное сообщение, отправленное через службу Twitter.com, и глагол, акт отправки такого сообщения) 2010: приложение ( сокращенная форма приложения, программное обеспечение для операционной системы компьютера или телефона) 2011: Occupy (глагол или существительное, вдохновленное движением Occupy 2011 года) 2012: хэштег (слово или фраза, перед которой стоит символ решетки (#), используется в Твиттере для обозначения темы или добавления комментария) 2013: из-за введения существительного, прилагательного или другая часть речи (например, «потому что причины», «потому что круто»). 2014: #blacklivesmatter : хэштег, используемый в знак протеста против чернокожих, убитых от рук полиции (особенно. Майкл Браун в Фергюсоне, штат Миссури, и Эрик Гарнер в Статен-Айленде, штат Нью-Йорк). 2015: Единственное число они (как гендерно-нейтральное местоимение, особенно для небинарных гендерная идентичность) 2016: мусорный контейнер пожар (чрезвычайно катастрофическая или хаотическая ситуация) 2017: фейковые новости (дезинформация или ложь представлены как настоящие новости или реальные новости, которые, как утверждается, не соответствуют действительности) 2018: приют для несовершеннолетних (эвфемизм для учреждений, в которых государственные чиновники содержат детей просителей убежища) 2019: (my) местоимения, используемые в контексте введения правильных местоимений третьего лица для обозначения человека.

В конце каждого десятилетия общество также выбирает a Word of the Decade : web для 1990-х, google (как глагол) для 2000-х, и в единственном числе они для 2010-х. В 2000 году джаз был выбран как «Слово 20 века», а она — как «Слово прошлого тысячелетия».

Выбор

Среди других кандидатов на «Слово года»:

• 2006: Плутоновый ритм «климатическая канарейка » (то, что плохо со здоровьем указывает на надвигающуюся экологическую катастрофу) во втором туре голосования за слово 2006 года. В числе других слов были порка (реклама, замаскированная под блог или веб-журнал), The Decider (политическая фраза, произнесенная бывшим президентом США Джорджем Бушем), «запрещенные жидкости» (жидкости, которые не могут перевозиться пассажирами в самолетах), и макака (американский гражданин, рассматриваемый как иностранец)
• 2007: Среди претендентов были зеленые- (обозначение экологической проблемы, как в greenwashing ), всплеск (увеличение численности войск в зоне боевых действий, как в иракской войне 2007 года ), Facebook (все части речи), погружение в воду (метод допроса, при котором субъекта обездвиживают и обливают водой для имитации утопления), Googlegänger (портмоне из Google и Doppelgänger, что означает лицо с вашим именем, которое появляется, когда вы сами гуглите), и широкая позиция, «иметь -» (лицемерить или выражать две противоречивые точки зрения в отношении сенатора Ларри Крейг после ареста 2007 года в аэропорту)
• 2010: Ном проиграл во втором туре с приложением
• 2011: 99%, 99 процентов и аббревиатура FoMO (Страх пропустить ) проиграл во втором туре с занятием
• 2012: Другими кандидатами были YOLO (аббревиатура от «You Only Live Once», часто используется саркастически или самоуничижительно), фискальный обрыв (угроза сокращения расходов и повышения налогов, нависшая над переговорами по бюджету на конец года), стиль Каннам (модный стиль Сеула район Каннамгу, как используется в корейской поп-песне с тем же названием ), равенство в браке (юридическое признание однополых браков) и 47 процентов (заявленная часть населения, которая не платит федеральный подоходный налог).
• 2013: косая черта: используется в качестве координирующего союза для обозначения «и / или» (например, «приехать и посетить косая черта, оставайся «) или» так «(» Я люблю это место, косая черта, мы можем туда пойти? «), тверк : режим танца, который включает энергичную попку- тряска и толкание ягодиц, обычно с опущенными ногами, Obamacare : термин для Закона о доступном медицинском обслуживании, который перешел от уничижительного до прозаического, а селфи : сделана фотография самого себя, как правило, с помощью смартфона и размещенного в социальных сетях.
• 2014: bae: возлюбленный или романтический партнер, columbusing : культурное присвоение, особенно акт белого человека, утверждающего, что открыл вещи, уже известные культурам меньшинств, даже: иметь дело или примирять сложные ситуации или эмоции (от «Я даже не могу»), человеческое распространение : человека, сидящего широко расставленными ногами в общественном транспорте в способ, который блокирует другие места.

Категории

В дополнение к «Слову года» общество также выбирает слова из других категорий, которые меняются из года в год:

Большинство полезный

• 2008:Барак Обама (в частности, использование обоих имен как объединяющих форм, таких как ObamaMania или Obamacare )
• 2009: фаи l (существительное или междометие, используемое, когда что-то явно неудачно)
• 2010: nom (звукоподражание форма, имеющая значение для еды, особенно. приятно)
• 2011: humblebrag (выражение ложного смирения, особенно знаменитостей в Твиттере)
• 2012: — (po) calypse, — (ma) geddon (гиперболическое комбинирование форм различных катастроф)
• 2013: из-за введения существительного, прилагательного или другой части речи (например, «потому что причины», «потому что потрясающе»).
• 2014 : даже (иметь дело или примирять сложные ситуации или эмоции, из «Я даже не могу»)
• 2015: они (гендерно-нейтральное местоимение единственного числа для известного человека, особенно как небинарный идентификатор)
• 2016: газлайт (психологически манипулировать человеком, чтобы поставить под сомнение его собственное здравомыслие)
• 2017: умереть в результате самоубийства (вариант «совершить самоубийство», который не предполагает преступного деяния)

Самый креативный

• 2008: Зона рекомбинации: зона в Международном аэропорту им. Генерала Митчелла, в которой пассажиры, прошедшие досмотр, могут привести в порядок свою одежду и вещи.
• 2009: Дракула чихание: прикрывать рот согнутым локтем во время чихания, что похоже на популярные изображения вампира Дракулы, в которых он прячет нижнюю половину лица плащом.
• 2010: prehab: превентивный запись в реабилитационный центр для предотвращения рецидива проблемы жестокого обращения.
• 2011: Мелленкамп: женщина, которая постарела из-за того, что она «пума », названа в честь Джона Кугара Мелленкампа.
• 2012: вши у ворот: пассажиры авиакомпаний, которые толпятся вокруг выхода и ждут посадки.
• 2013: сом : чтобы представить себя в Интернете в ложном свете, особенно как часть романтического обмана.
• 2014: columbusing: культурное присвоение, особенно акт белого человека, заявляющего об открытии вещей, уже известных культурам меньшинств.
• 2015: ammosexual: тот, кто любит огнестрельное оружие в фетишистской манере.
• 2016: laissez-fairydust: магический эффект, вызванный экономикой laissez-faire.

Самое ненужное

• 2008: moofing (PR-фирма- создан термин для работы на ходу с ноутбуком и мобильным телефоном)
• 2009: sea kittens (попытка ребрендинга рыбы со стороны PETA )
• 2010: refudiate ( смесь слов опровергнуть и отвергнуть, использованная Сарой Пэйлин в Твиттере)
• 2011: двукратный выигрыш (термин, используемый Чарли Шином для описания сам гордо отвергая обвинения в биполярном )
• 2012:законном изнасиловании (тип изнасилования, который, по утверждению кандидата в Сенат Миссури Тодд Акин, редко приводит к беременности)
• 2013: sharknado (торнадо, полное акул, как показано в одноименном фильме Syfy Channel)
• 2014: baeless: без романтического партнера (без bae).
• 2015: manbun: мужская прическа собрана в пучок.

Самая возмутительная

• 2008 :террористический удар кулаком (фраза для удар кулаком придуман Fox News диктором Э. Д. Хилл )
• 2009: комиссия по смерти (предполагаемый комитет врачей и / или бюрократов, которые будут решать, какие пациенты будут лечиться, а какие нет)
• 2010: изнасилование на посадке (уничижительный термин для агрессивной процедуры обысков в новом аэропорту)
• 2011: ассолократия (правление неприятных мультимиллионеров)
• 2012: законное изнасилование (тип изнасилование, которое, как утверждал кандидат в Сенат Миссури Тодд Акин, редко приводит к беременности)
• 2013: нижняя часть ягодиц (видна из-за некоторых шорт или нижнего белья)
• 2014: вторая поправка : v. Убить (кого-то) из пистолета, иронично используется сторонниками контроля над оружием.
• 2015: fuckboy, fuckboi: унизительный термин для человека, который ведет себя неугодно или беспорядочно..

Самый эвфемистический

• 2008 : техник-черпатель (человек, чья работа — собирать собачий помет)
• 2009 : поход по Аппалачской тропе (идти уйти, чтобы заняться сексом со своим незаконным любовником, из заявления, выпущенного под редакцией губернатора Южной Каролины Марка Сэнфорда для прикрытия посещения своей аргентинской любовницы)
• 2010 : кинетическое событие (термин Пентагона для насильственных атак на войска в Афганистане)
• 2011 : лицо, создающее работу (лицо, ответственное за экономический рост и занятость)
• 2012 : самодепортация (политика поощрения нелегальных иммигрантов к добровольному возвращению в свои страны)
• 2013 : наименее неправдивый (включая минимальную необходимую ложь, используется директором разведки Джеймсом Клэппером)
• 2014 : EIT : сокращение от уже эвфемистического «усиленного метода допроса».
• 2015 : Netflix и расслабление: сексуальные действия, замаскированные под предложение посмотреть Netflix и расслабиться ».

Скорее всего, добьется успеха

• 2008:готов к работе (описание инфраструктурных проектов, которые можно начать быстро, когда станут доступны средства)
• 2009: двадцать десять (произношение 2010 года, в отличие от слов «две тысячи десять» или « две тысячи десять «)
• 2010: тренд (глагол для демонстрации всплеска онлайн-шума)
• 2011: облако (онлайн-пространство для крупномасштабной обработки и хранение данных)
• 2012: равенство брака (юридическое признание однополых браков)
• 2013: запойные часы (для просмотра большого количества одного шоу или серию визуальных развлечений за один присест)
• 2014: соленый: исключительно горький, сердитый или расстроенный.
• 2015: призрак: (глагол) резко прекратить отношения, прервав общение, особенно онлайн.

Наименьшая вероятность успеха

• 2008: PUMA (аббревиатура от «Party Unity My Ass», а затем, «People United Means Action », использованная демократами, которые были разочарованы после Хиллари Клинтон не смогла набрать достаточное количество делегатов)
• 2009: Непослушные, Огути, Оугти и т. Д. (Альтернативные имена для десятилетия 2000–2009 )
• 2010: culturomics (исследовательский проект от Google, анализирующий историю в зависимости от языка и культуры)
• 2011: брони (взрослый мужчина, фанат франшизы мультфильма «My Little Pony »)
• 2012: фаблет (электронное устройство среднего размера, между смартфоном и планшетом )
• 2013:Благодарением (слияние Дня Благодарения и первый день Хануки, который не повторится еще 70 000 лет)
• 2014: platisher: издатель интернет-СМИ, который также служит платформой для создания контента.
• 2015: sitbit: устройство, которое награждает малоподвижный образ жизни (играйте на фитнес-трекере Fitbit).

Особые категории

• Election-Related Word (2008): maverick (человек, который никому не обязан, широко используется Республиканские кандидаты в президенты и вице-президенты Джон Маккейн и Сара Пэйлин )
• Fan Words (2010): gleek (фанат телешоу Glee )
• Occupy Words (2011): 99%, 99% респондентов (тех, кто находится в невыгодном финансовом или политическом для самых прибыльных, однопроцентников)
• Выборные слова (2012): папки (полные женщин) (термин, используемый Миттом Ромни во втором президентские дебаты по описанию резюме женщин-кандидатов на работу, с которыми он консультировался как губернатор Массачусетса )
• Самый продуктивный (2013): — позор: (от позор для шлюх ) тип общественности унижение (прищуривание, позорение животных ).
• Самый известный хэштег (2014): #blacklivesmatter: протест против чернокожих, убитых от рук полиции (особенно. Майкл Браун в Фергюсоне, штат Миссури, Эрик Гарнер в Стейтен-Айленде).

Австралийский национальный словарь-центр

Австралийский национальный словарь-центр объявляет «Слово года» каждый декабрь с 2006 года. Это слово выбрано редакцией, исходя из того, что оно получило известность в австралийском социальном и культурном ландшафте в течение года. Слово года часто упоминается в средствах массовой информации как слово года в Австралии, но это слово не всегда является австралийским.

ГОД
2006	подкаст
2007	me-tooism
2008	GFC
2009	twitter
2010	vuvuzela
2011
2012	зеленый по синему
2013	биткойн
2014	рубашка спереди
2015	экономика совместного использования
2016	демократия колбаса
2017	Кваусси
2018	Канберрский пузырь
2019	Голос

Словарь английского языка Коллинза

Словарь английского языка Коллинза объявил о выпуске Word of the Year каждый год с 2013 года, а до этого объявлял новое «слово месяца» каждый месяц в 2012 году. Изданный в Глазго, Великобритания, Collins English Dictionary публикует английские словари с 1819 года.

Ближе к концу каждого календарного года Коллинз выпускает короткий список примечательных слов или слов, которые стали известны за предыдущие 12 месяцев. Шорт-лист обычно состоит из десяти слов, хотя в 2014 году только четыре слова были объявлены шорт-листом «Слово года».

Слова года Коллинза выбираются командой Collins Dictionary в Глазго и Лондоне, состоящей из лексикографов, редакторов, маркетологов и сотрудников отдела рекламы, хотя ранее процесс отбора был открытым для общественности.

Хотя слово не обязательно должно быть новым для характеристики, появление слов в списке часто подтверждается статистикой использования и перекрестными ссылками на обширный корпус Коллинза, чтобы понять, как язык мог измениться или развиться в в прошлом году. Слово года Коллинза также не ограничивается использованием британского языка, и часто выбираются слова, которые применимы и на международном уровне, например, фейковые новости в 2017 году.

Год	Слово года	Определение	Shortlist
2013	Компьютерщик	Если вы называете кого-то, обычно мужчину или мальчика, компьютерщиком, вы недобро говорите, что он глупый, неловкий, или слабый.	Twerking Bitcoin Phablet Plebgate Fracker Cybernat бедро пробел Олингито Черная пятница Кредитование до зарплаты Гарлем Шейк
2014	Фотобомба	Если вы фотобомбите кого-то, вы испортите сфотографировать их, когда они встают перед ними во время съемки, часто делают что-нибудь глупое, например, корчит рожи.	Tinder Bakeoff Normcore Devo Max
2015	Часы с выпивкой	Если вы смотрите телесериал с запой, вы смотрите несколько серий один за другим за короткий промежуток времени. ime.	Dadbod Shaming Corbynomics Чистая еда Ghosting Swipe бесконтактный Распространение людей Трансгендеры
2016	Brexit	Выход Соединенного Королевства из Европейского Союза в марте 2019 года.	Hygge Mic drop Трампизм Бросок тени Обмен Поколение снежинок Чувственная еда Уберизация JOMO
2017	Фейковые новости	Ложная, часто сенсационная информация, распространяемая под видом новостных репортажей.	Антифа Корбинмания Сезон запугивания Эхо-камера Фиджет спиннер Гендер-флюид Гигантская экономия Insta Unicorn
2018	Одноразовые	Предназначены для однократного использования.	Блокиратор обратного хода Мулине Гаммон Газовый свет MeToo Plogging VAR Vegan Whitewash
2019	Climate st Райк		Бопо Отмена Дипфейк Двойной удар Entryist Hopepunk Влиятельный человек Недвоичный Rewilding

Словарь Маккуори

Словарь Маккуори, который является словарем австралийского английского языка, ежегодно обновляет онлайн-словарь новыми словами, фразами и т. Д. и определения. Их можно просмотреть на их веб-сайте.

Каждый год редакторы выбирают краткий список новых слов, добавленных в словарь, и приглашают общественность проголосовать за их любимые слова. Общественное голосование проводится в январе, по результатам которого определяется победитель конкурса «Выбор народа». Самое влиятельное слово года также выбирается Комитетом «Слово года» под председательством вице-канцлера Сиднейского университета д-ра Майкла Спенса. Редактор словаря Macquarie Сьюзан Батлер также является членом комитета. Комитет собирается ежегодно, чтобы выбрать слова-победители.

Ниже приводится список слов, выигравших с тех пор, как в 2006 году было объявлено «Слово года Маккуори»:

Год	Выбор комитета	Выбор народа
2006	маффин-топ	(Победителя нет. Список победителей см. На веб-сайте Macquarie)
2007	прихлебывание стручка	усталость пароля
2008	токсичный долг	flashpacker
2010	googleganger	shockumentary
2011	burqini	fracking
2012	синдром фантомной вибрации	проблема Первого мира
2013	infovore	onesie
2014	mansplain	shareplate
2015	вызов капитана	вызов капитана
2017	утка молочный коктейль	framily
2018	я тоже	одноразовый
2019	отменить культуру	robodebt

Merriam-Webster

Списки слов Merriam-Webster of the Year (на каждый год) — это списки из десяти слов, ежегодно публикуемые американской компанией по издательству словарей Merriam-Webster, Inc., в которых представлены десять слов года из английского языка. Эти списки слов были начаты в 2003 году и публикуются в конце каждого года. Сначала компания Merriam-Webster определила его содержание, проанализировав попаданий на страницу и популярных поисковых запросов на своем веб-сайте. С 2006 года список составляется на основе онлайн-опроса и предложений посетителей веб-сайта.

Ниже приводится список слов, которые с тех пор стали «Словом года» компании Merriam-Webster. 2003:

• 2003 : демократия
• 2004 : блог
• 2005 : честность
• 2006 : правдивость
• 2007 : w00t
• 2008 : спасение
• 2009 : предостережение
• 2010 : жесткая экономия
• 2011 : прагматический
• 2012 : социализм и капитализм
• 2013 : наука
• 2014 : культура
• 2015 : -изм
• 2016 : сюрреалистический
• 2017 : феминизм
• 2018 : Правосудие
• 2019 : Они

Oxford

Oxford University Press, издающая Oxford English Dictionary и многие другие словари, объявляют Oxford Dictionaries UK Word of the Year и «Слово года в США» от Oxford Dictionaries; иногда это одно и то же слово. Слово года не обязательно должно было быть придумано в течение последних двенадцати месяцев, но оно должно стать заметным или заметным за это время. Нет гарантии, что «Слово года» будет включено в какой-либо Оксфордский словарь. Слова года в Оксфордских словарях выбираются редакцией из каждого из оксфордских словарей. Команда отбора состоит из лексикографов и консультантов команды словарей, а также сотрудников редакции, маркетинга и рекламы.

Год	Слово года в Великобритании	Слово года в США
2004	chav
2005	sudoku	подкаст
2006	bovvered	углеродно-нейтральный
2008		hypermiling
2009	простые (Сравните крылатую фразу Суриката )	разобщить
2010	большое общество	отказать
2011	зажатое середина
2012	омнишабл	GIF (имя существительное)
2013	селфи
2014	vape
2015	😂 (Face With Tears of Joy, Unicode : U + 1F602, часть эмодзи )
2016	постправда
2017	молодежное землетрясение
2018	токсичный
2019	климатическая чрезвычайная ситуация

Грант Барретт

С 2004 года лексикограф Грант Барретт публикует список слов года, обычно в New York Times, хотя он не называет победителя.

• 2004
• 2005
• 2006
• 2007
• 2008
• 2009
• 2010
• 2011
• 2012
• 2013 в New York Times, также подробнее полный список

Dictionary.com

В 2010 году Dictionary.com объявил о своем первом слове года «изменение» и делает это ежегодно в декабре. поскольку. Выбор основан на тенденциях поиска на сайте в течение года и новостях, которые ими движут.

Ниже приводится список ежегодных слов с начала с первого в 2010 году:

• 2010 : Изменение
• 2011 : Tergiversate
• 2012 : Bluster
• 2013 : Конфиденциальность
• 2014 : Exposure
• 2015 : Identity
• 2016 : Ксенофобия
• 2017 : Явные
• 2018 : Дезинформация
• 2019 : Экзистенциальные

Списки похожих слов

Слово в год

С 2004 года Сьюзи Дент, английский лексикограф, издала столбец «Слово в год», в котором она выбирает по одному слову из каждого слова. последних 101 года, чтобы представить заботы времени. Сьюзи Дент отмечает, что список субъективен. Каждый год она дает совершенно другой набор слов.

Поскольку Сьюзи Дент работает в Oxford University Press, ее избранные слова часто ошибочно называют «Словом года Оксфордского словаря».

Другие страны

В Германии, Wort des Jahres выбирается с 1972 года (на 1971 год) Обществом Немецкий язык. Кроме того, Unwort des Jahres (Un-word of the year или No-no Word of the Year) номинировался с 1991 года за слово или фразу в публичной речи, считающейся оскорбительные или социально неприемлемые (например, «Überfremdung »). Подобные отборы производятся ежегодно с 1999 г. в Австрии, 2002 г. в Лихтенштейне и 2003 г. в Швейцарии.

В Дании с 2008 года выбирают Danmarks Radio и Dansk Sprognævn.

В Японии кандзи года (котоси-но кандзи) выбирается с 1995 года. иероглифы являются заимствованными китайскими иероглифами в японском языке. язык. В Японии также проводится ежегодный конкурс «Слово года» под названием «Гран-при U-Can New и Trendy Word» (U-Can shingo, ryūkgo taishō), спонсируемый Джию Кокуминша. И кандзи, и слово / фразы года часто отражают текущие события и отношения в Японии. Например, в 2011 году, после аварии на АЭС Фукусима, разочаровывающе загадочная фраза, которую японские официальные лица использовали перед взрывом относительно возможности расплавления — «вероятность повторной критичности не равна нулю» (Sairinkai no kanōsei zero de wa nai), стала верхняя фраза года. В том же году кандзи, обозначающее «связь» (т. Е. Семейные узы или дружба), стало кандзи года, выражая важность коллективности перед лицом катастрофы.

В Норвегии Слово года опрос проводится с 2012 года.

В Португалии Слово года проводится с 2009 года.

В России Голосование года проводится с 2007 года.

В Украине голосование Слово года проводится с 2013 года.

См. Также

• Language Report из Oxford University Press
• Списки слов года Merriam-Webster
• Neologism
• Doublespeak Award
• Кандзи года

Дополнительная литература

• Джон Эйто, «Век новых слов», Серия: Оксфордский справочник в мягкой обложке (2007) ISBN 0-19-921369-0
• Джон Айто, «Слова двадцатого века», Oxford University Press (1999) ISBN 0-19-860230-8

Ссылки

Внешние ссылки

• Популярные слова fr om 2000 — настоящее время @ Global Language Monitor
• Архив Word of the Year @ Словарь Macquarie
• Архив Word of the Year @ Merriam-Webster
• Слово года Архив @ OxfordWords blog
• Австрийское слово года
• Канадское слово года
• Слово года в Лихтенштейне
• Слово года в Швейцарии
• Слово года Dictionary.com @ Dictionary.com

In the summer of 1990, as President George Bush was grappling with going to war in the Persian Gulf and Nelson Mandela was traveling the U.S. seeking support for the end of apartheid, a man named Allan Metcalf had an idea.

A professor of English at MacMurry College in Illinois, Metcalf has also been executive secretary of the American Dialect Society for more than 30 years. Because his duties include planning the annual get together for the word-obsessed academics who make up the Society’s membership, Metcalf was busy arranging logistics for that year’s meeting in Chicago.

The attendees are types who religiously scour everything from periodicals to the banter of their college students for neologisms, shifts in slang, new concepts or funny portmanteaus — linguistic changes that almost always reflect something bigger than themselves. Language is a mirror, Metcalf thought, so why not make something of a moment when all those people, who have been staring in the mirror all year, are in the same room?

“I was thinking, every year TIME Magazine chooses a person of the year, and they choose it not by some computer program but rather the editors and readers making suggestions about who was influential. Why couldn’t we choose a word of the year?” Metcalf says. “If anybody’s expert on what’s important in our language, that would be members of our group.”

The members of that group agreed and on Dec. 19, 1990, at the Barclay Hotel in Chicago, history was made. On that day, about 40 people selected bushlips as the New Word of The Year (a portmanteau of Bush and lips, the word was a little-known term for insincere political rhetoric, created to deride Bush’s failed promise, “Read my lips: no new taxes”). Of course, Metcalf was not necessarily the first human to ponder the notion of declaring a word of the year; a TIME reader wrote a letter back in 1945 suggesting that atomic hold that title. But today’s annual foam party for word-nerds, which has institutions throwing out selections from October through January, has roots in the St. Clair Room of the Barclay Hotel.

For the first decade or so, Metcalf says, the “WOTY” ritual—an acronym used by the growing band of linguists who watch for candidates like Ahab for white flukes—was a fairly small affair. That started changing when the American Dialect Society joined their meeting with the Linguistic Society of America’s in 2000, and again in 2003 when Merriam-Webster proclaimed its first WOTY to be democracy. Oxford University Press joined the parade in 2004, announcing that chav (a pejorative name for type of British youth) was their Word of the Year. Then, in 2010, Dictionary.com entered their own float with the simple, politically charged word change. Institutions with lower Q scores make the march too, like Collins English Dictionary (which chose photobomb as their word this year) and Chambers Dictionary (which selected overshare).

As close readers may have noticed, the ritual has not only exploded but also shed a tricky qualification since its inception in 1990. In the beginning, the American Dialect Society decreed that any nominee had to be new. That rule proved flawed over the years, as attendees would pluck a new word from the masses only to find out it wasn’t actually new at all (Not!, 1992’s selection, was eventually dated back to the 1800s) or that, like bushlips, the term was a passing thing that should have been wrapped in the next day’s newspaper rather than put on a pedestal.

By the 1990s, that rule had been dropped, freeing the Society’s members to select words like mom in 1996 (as a nod to the “soccer mom” voter who emerged as a key demographic in that year’s election) and occupy in 2011, recording a year in which a movement against classism took to the streets around the world. It also led to Metcalf penning a book, Predicting New Words, in which is presented his “FUDGE” system for identifying words with staying power.

Institutions have found ways to distinguish their selections amidst the delightful frenzy. Merriam-Webster relies largely on spikes in lookups, rather than making editorial choices, which is why they often end up choosing less-trendy words like last year’s science—a word, as Editor-at-Large Peter Sokolowski said, “lurking behind” big headlines. The people at Oxford University Press, which is monitoring English from South Texas to South Africa, position themselves as thinking more internationally and have often selected one WOTY for the U.S. and another for the U.K., like 2012’s GIF and omnishambles. And Dictionary.com, while taking lookups into account, looks to the news stories of the year and searches for a term that can serve as connective tissue.

Then there remains the American Dialect Society, which exists to study the English of North America—the only outlet to have a public, live vote that will count the hands of anyone who shows up (not just members of the Society), which now entails funneling hundreds into a room where people make nominations and give speeches for or against candidates. It’s a real good time, Metcalf says, which is just what he hoped for in the summer of 1990. “The main thing was I thought it would be fun,” he says. And now, he notes, since their vote happens in January, they’re typically the last to make their choice. “We like to think that we were first and we are the last,” he says.

For every institution, there’s an element of free publicity, sought or not, that comes with announcing a word of the year, a line that will hook reporters (this writer included) every single time. But that’s not just because WOTYs are clickbait. It’s a moment, as Oxford’s Casper Grathwohl says, to remind people that lexicographers are working hard, all year long, to catalog the immense historical record that is our language. And words of the year are a little bit of poetry that come out of a pithy tradition of reflection, regardless of whether, when we have the benefit of hindsight, the selections prove to have bottled up the zeitgeist of a year or mostly hot air.

“There are a lot of windows into thinking about where we are as a society,” Grathwohl says. “Coded in the language we use is a lot of information that we are communicating without directly saying it … When we select the word of the year, it allows people to dig underneath the surface of the words we use to think about what’s there.”

Read about Oxford’s 2014 Word of the Year: Vape

Contact us at letters@time.com.

The word(s) of the year, sometimes capitalized as «Word(s) of the Year» and abbreviated «WOTY» (or «WotY«), refers to any of various assessments as to the most important word(s) or expression(s) in the public sphere during a specific year.

The German tradition, Wort des Jahres was started in 1971. The American Dialect Society’s Word of the Year is the oldest English-language version, and the only one that is announced after the end of the calendar year, determined by a vote of independent linguists, and not tied to commercial interest.^{[citation needed]} However, various other organizations also announce Words of the Year for a variety of purposes.

American Dialect Society

Since 1990, the American Dialect Society (ADS) has designated one or more words or terms to be the «Word of the Year» in the United States

At the end of each decade, the society also chooses a Word of the Decade: web for the 1990s, google (as a verb) for the 2000s, and singular they for the 2010s. In 2000, jazz was selected as «Word of the 20th Century», and she as «Word of the Past Millennium».

Selection

Other candidates for «Word of the Year» have included:

• 2006: Plutoed beat «climate canary» (something whose poor health indicates a looming environmental catastrophe) in a run-off vote for the 2006 word of the year. Other words in the running were flog (an advertisement disguised as a blog or web log), The Decider (a political catchphrase said by former United States President George W. Bush), «prohibited liquids» (fluids that cannot be transported by passengers on airplanes), and macaca (an American citizen treated as an alien)
• 2007: Among the contenders were green- (a designation of environmental concern, as in greenwashing), surge (an increase in troops in a war zone, as in the Iraq War troop surge of 2007), Facebook (all parts of speech), waterboarding (an interrogation technique in which the subject is immobilized and doused with water to simulate drowning), Googlegänger (a portmanteau of Google and Doppelgänger, meaning a person with your name who shows up when you google yourself), and wide stance, «to have a —» (to be hypocritical or to express two conflicting points of view, in reference to Senator Larry Craig after his 2007 arrest at an airport)
• 2010: Nom lost in a run-off with app
• 2011: 99%, 99 percenters and the acronym FoMO (fear of missing out) lost in a run-off with occupy
• 2012: Other nominees were YOLO (an acronym for «You Only Live Once,» often used sarcastically or self-deprecatingly), fiscal cliff (the threat of spending cuts and tax increases looming over end-of-year budget negotiations), Gangnam style (the trendy style of Seouls Gangnam District, as used in the Korean pop song of the same name), marriage equality (legal recognition of same-sex marriage), and 47 percent (a claimed portion of the population that does not pay federal income tax).
• 2013: slash: used as a coordinating conjunction to mean «and/or» (e.g., «come and visit slash stay») or «so» («I love that place, slash can we go there?»), twerk: A mode of dance that involves vigorous booty-shaking and booty-thrusting, usually with the feet planted, Obamacare: term for the Affordable Care Act that has moved from pejorative to matter-of-fact shorthand and selfie: a photo taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone and shared on social media.
• 2014: bae: a sweetheart or romantic partner, columbusing: cultural appropriation, especially the act of a white person claiming to discover things already known to minority cultures, even: deal with or reconcile difficult situations or emotions (from «I can’t even»), manspreading: of a man, to sit with one’s legs wide on public transit in a way that blocks other seats.

Categories

In addition to the «Word of the Year», the society also selects words in other categories that vary from year to year:

Most useful

• 2008: Barack Obama (specifically, the use of both names as combining forms, such as ObamaMania or Obamacare)
• 2009: fail (noun or interjection used when something is egregiously unsuccessful)
• 2010: nom (onomatopoetic form connoting eating, esp. pleasurably)
• 2011: humblebrag (expression of false humility, especially by celebrities on Twitter)
• 2012: -(po)calypse, -(ma)geddon (hyperbolic combining forms for various catastrophes)
• 2013: because introducing a noun, adjective, or other part of speech (e.g., «because reasons,» «because awesome»).
• 2014: even (deal with or reconcile difficult situations or emotions, from «I can’t even»)
• 2015: they (gender-neutral singular pronoun for a known person, particularly as a non-binary identifier)
• 2016: gaslight (psychologically manipulate a person into questioning their own sanity)
• 2017: die by suicide (a variant of «to commit suicide» that does not suggest a criminal act)

Most creative

• 2008: recombobulation area: an area at General Mitchell International Airport in which passengers that have passed through security screening can get their clothes and belongings back in order.
• 2009: Dracula sneeze: covering one’s mouth with the crook of one’s elbow when sneezing, seen as similar to popular portrayals of the vampire Dracula, in which he hides the lower half of his face with a cape.
• 2010: prehab: preemptive enrollment in a rehab facility to prevent relapse of an abuse problem.
• 2011: Mellencamp: a woman who has aged out of being a «cougar», named after John Cougar Mellencamp.
• 2012: gate lice: airline passengers who crowd around a gate, waiting to board.
• 2013: catfish: to misrepresent oneself online, especially as part of a romantic deception.
• 2014: columbusing: cultural appropriation, especially the act of a white person claiming to discover things already known to minority cultures.
• 2015: ammosexual: someone who loves firearms in a fetishistic manner.
• 2016: laissez-fairydust: magical effect brought upon by laissez-faire economics.

Most unnecessary

• 2008: moofing (a PR firm-created term for working on the go with a laptop and cell phone)
• 2009: sea kittens (attempted rebranding of fish by PETA)
• 2010: refudiate (blend word of refute and repudiate used by Sarah Palin on Twitter)
• 2011: bi-winning (term used by Charlie Sheen to describe himself pridefully, dismissing accusations of being bipolar)
• 2012: legitimate rape (type of rape that Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin claimed rarely results in pregnancy)
• 2013: sharknado (a tornado full of sharks, as featured in the Syfy Channel movie of that name)
• 2014: baeless: without a romantic partner (lacking a bae).
• 2015: manbun: man’s hairstyle pulled up in a bun.

Most outrageous

• 2008: terrorist fist jab (a phrase for a fist bump coined by Fox News newscaster E. D. Hill)
• 2009: death panel (a supposed committee of doctors and/or bureaucrats who would decide which patients would and wouldn’t receive treatment)
• 2010: gate rape (pejorative term for invasive new airport pat-down procedure)
• 2011: assholocracy (rule by obnoxious multi-millionaires)
• 2012: legitimate rape (type of rape that Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin claimed rarely results in pregnancy)
• 2013: underbutt (the underside of buttocks, made visible by certain shorts or underwear)
• 2014: second-amendment: v. to kill (someone) with a gun, used ironically by gun control supporters.
• 2015: fuckboy, fuckboi: derogatory term for a man who behaves objectionably or promiscuously.

Most euphemistic

• 2008: scooping technician (a person whose job it is to pick up dog poop)
• 2009: hike the Appalachian trail (to go away to have sex with one’s illicit lover, from a statement released by South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford to cover for visiting his Argentinean mistress)
• 2010: kinetic event (Pentagon term for violent attacks on troops in Afghanistan)
• 2011: job creator (a person responsible for economic growth and employment)
• 2012: self-deportation (policy of encouraging illegal immigrants to return voluntarily to their home countries)
• 2013: least untruthful (involving the smallest necessary lie, used by intelligence director James Clapper)
• 2014: EIT: abbreviation for the already euphemistic «enhanced interrogation technique.»
• 2015: Netflix and chill: sexual come-on masked as a suggestion to watch Netflix and relax.

Most likely to succeed

• 2008: shovel-ready (description of infrastructure projects that can be started quickly, when funds become available)
• 2009: twenty-ten (pronunciation of the year 2010, as opposed to saying «two thousand ten» or «two thousand and ten»)
• 2010: trend (verb for exhibiting a burst of online buzz)
• 2011: cloud (online space for the large-scale processing and storage of data)
• 2012: marriage equality (legal recognition of same-sex marriage)
• 2013: binge-watch (to consume vast quantities of a single show or series of visual entertainment in one sitting)
• 2014: salty: exceptionally bitter, angry, or upset.
• 2015: ghost: (verb) abruptly end a relationship by cutting off communication, especially online.

Least likely to succeed

• 2008: PUMA (an acronym for «Party Unity My Ass» and later, «People United Means Action» as used by Democrats who were disaffected after Hillary Clinton failed to secure a sufficient number of delegates)
• 2009: Naughties, Aughties, Oughties, etc. (alternative names for the decade 2000–2009)
• 2010: culturomics (research project from Google analyzing the history of language and culture)
• 2011: brony (an adult male fan of the «My Little Pony» cartoon franchise)
• 2012: phablet (mid-sized electronic device, between a smartphone and a tablet)
• 2013: Thanksgivukkah (confluence of Thanksgiving and the first day of Hanukkah that will not be repeated for another 70,000 years)
• 2014: platisher: online media publisher that also serves as a platform for creating content.
• 2015: sitbit: device that rewards sedentary lifestyle (play on Fitbit fitness tracker).

Special categories

• Election-Related Word (2008): maverick (a person who is beholden to no one, widely used by the Republican presidential and vice-presidential candidates John McCain and Sarah Palin)
• Fan Words (2010): gleek (a fan of the TV show Glee)
• Occupy Words (2011): the 99%, 99 percenters (those held to be at a financial or political disadvantage to the top moneymakers, the one-percenters)
• Election Words (2012): binders (full of women) (a term used by Mitt Romney in the second presidential debate to describe the resumes of female job candidates that he consulted as governor of Massachusetts)
• Most Productive (2013): -shaming: (from slut-shaming) type of public humiliation (fat-shaming, pet-shaming).
• Most Notable Hashtag (2014): #blacklivesmatter: protest over Black people killed at the hands of police (esp. Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., Eric Garner in Staten Island).

Australian National Dictionary Centre

The Australian National Dictionary Centre has announced a Word of the Year each since 2006. The word is chosen by the editorial staff, and is selected on the basis of having come to some prominence in the Australian social and cultural landscape during the year. The Word of the Year is often reported in the media as being Australia’s word of the year, but the word is not always an Australian word.

Year	Word
2006	podcast
2007	me-tooism
2008	GFC
2009	twitter
2010	vuvuzela
2011
2012	green-on-blue
2013	bitcoin
2014	shirtfront
2015	sharing economy
2016	democracy sausage
2017	Kwaussie
2018	Canberra bubble
2019	Voice
2020	iso
2021	strollout
2022	teal

Cambridge Dictionary

The Cambridge Dictionary Word of the Year, by Cambridge University Press & Assessment, has been published every year since 2015. 

The Cambridge Word of the Year is led by the data — what users look up — in the world’s most popular dictionary for English language learners. 

In 2022, the Cambridge Word of the Year was ‘homer’, caused by Wordle players looking up five-letter words, especially those that non-American players were less familiar with. 

In 2021, the Cambridge Dictionary Word of the Year was ‘perserverance’. In 2020, ‘quarantine’.

YEAR
2015	austerity
2016	paranoid
2017	populism
2018	nomophobia
2019	upcycling
2020	quarantine
2021	perserverance
2022	homer

Collins English Dictionary

The Collins English Dictionary has announced a Word of the Year every year since 2013, and prior to this, announced a new ‘word of the month’ each month in 2012. Published in Glasgow, UK, Collins English Dictionary has been publishing English dictionaries since 1819.

Toward the end of each calendar year, Collins release a shortlist of notable words or those that have come to prominence in the previous 12 months. The shortlist typically comprises ten words, though in 2014 only four words were announced as the Word of the Year shortlist.

The Collins Words of the Year are selected by the Collins Dictionary team across Glasgow and London, consisting of lexicographers, editorial, marketing, and publicity staff, though previously the selection process has been open to the public.

Whilst the word is not required to be new to feature, the appearance of words in the list is often supported by usage statistics and cross-reference against Collins’ extensive corpus to understand how language may have changed or developed in the previous year. The Collins Word of the Year is also not restricted to UK language usage, and words are often chosen that apply internationally as well, for example, fake news in 2017.

Year	Word of the Year	Definition	Shortlist
2013	Geek	If you call someone, usually a man or boy, a geek, you are saying in an unkind way that they are stupid, awkward, or weak.	Twerking Bitcoin Phablet Plebgate Fracker Cybernat Thigh gap Olinguito Black Friday Payday lending Harlem Shake
2014	Photobomb	If you photobomb someone, you spoil a photograph of them by stepping in front of them as the photograph is taken, often doing something silly such as making a funny face.	Tinder Bakeoff Normcore Devo Max
2015	Binge-watch	If you binge-watch a television series, you watch several episodes one after another in a short time.	Dadbod Shaming Corbynomics Clean eating Ghosting Swipe Contactless Manspreading Transgender
2016	Brexit	The withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union in January 2020.	Hygge Mic drop Trumpism Throw shade Sharenting Snowflake generation Dude food Uberization JOMO
2017	Fake news	False, often sensational, information disseminated under the guise of news reporting.	Antifa Corbynmania Cuffing season Echo chamber Fidget spinner Gender-fluid Gig economy Insta Unicorn
2018	Single-use	Made to be used once only.	Backstop Floss Gammon Gaslight MeToo Plogging VAR Vegan Whitewash
2019	Climate strike	A form of protest in which people absent themselves from education or work to join demonstrations demanding action to counter climate change.	Bopo Cancel Deepfake Double down Entryist Hopepunk Influencer Nonbinary Rewilding
2020	Lockdown	If there is a lockdown, people must stay at home unless they need to go out for certain reasons, such as going to work, buying food or taking exercise.	Lockdown Coronavirus BLM Key worker Furlough Self-isolate Social distancing Megxit TikToker Mukbang
2021	NFT	A digital certificate of ownership of a unique asset, such as an artwork or a collectible.	Climate anxiety Double-vaxxed Metaverse Pingdemic Cheugy Crypto Hybrid working Neopronoun Regencycore
2022	Permacrisis	An extended period of instability and insecurity, esp one resulting from a series of catastrophic events.

Macquarie Dictionary

The Macquarie Dictionary, which is the dictionary of Australian English, updates the online dictionary each year with new words, phrases, and definitions. These can be viewed on their website.

Each year the editors select a short-list of new words added to the dictionary and invite the public to vote on their favourite. The public vote is held in January and results in the People’s Choice winner. The most influential word of the year is also selected by the Word of the Year Committee which is chaired by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sydney, Dr Michael Spence. The Editor of the Macquarie Dictionary, Susan Butler, is also a committee member. The Committee meets annually to select the overall winning words.

The following is the list of winning words since the Macquarie Word of the Year first began in 2006:

Year	Committee’s Choice	People’s Choice
2006	muffin top	(No overall winner. See Macquarie website for category winners)
2007	pod slurping	password fatigue
2008	toxic debt	flashpacker
2009	shovel ready	tweet
2010	googleganger	shockumentary
2011	burqini	fracking
2012	phantom vibration syndrome	First World problem
2013	infovore	onesie
2014	mansplain	shareplate
2015	captain’s call	captain’s call
2016	fake news	halal snack pack
2017	milkshake duck	framily
2018	me too	single-use
2019	cancel culture	robodebt
2020	doomscrolling, rona

Merriam-Webster

The lists of Merriam-Webster’s Words of the Year (for each year) are ten-word lists published annually by the American dictionary-publishing company Merriam-Webster, Inc., which feature the ten words of the year from the English language. These word lists started in 2003 and have been published at the end of each year. At first, Merriam-Webster determined its contents by analyzing page hits and popular searches on its website. Since 2006, the list has been determined by an online poll and by suggestions from visitors to the website.

The following is the list of words that became Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year since 2003:

• 2003: democracy
• 2004: blog
• 2005: integrity
• 2006: truthiness
• 2007: w00t
• 2008: bailout
• 2009: admonish
• 2010: austerity
• 2011: pragmatic
• 2012: socialism and capitalism
• 2013: science
• 2014: culture
• 2015: -ism
• 2016: surreal
• 2017: feminism
• 2018: justice
• 2019: they
• 2020: pandemic
• 2021: vaccine

Oxford

Oxford University Press, which publishes the Oxford English Dictionary and many other dictionaries, announces an Oxford Dictionaries UK Word of the Year and an Oxford Dictionaries US Word of the Year; sometimes these are the same word. The Word of the Year need not have been coined within the past twelve months but it does need to have become prominent or notable during that time. There is no guarantee that the Word of the Year will be included in any Oxford dictionary. The Oxford Dictionaries Words of the Year are selected by editorial staff from each of the Oxford dictionaries. The selection team is made up of lexicographers and consultants to the dictionary team, and editorial, marketing, and publicity staff.

Year	UK Word of the Year	US Word of the Year	Hindi Word of the Year
2004	chav
2005	sudoku	podcast
2006	bovvered	carbon-neutral
2007	carbon footprint	locavore
2008	credit crunch	hypermiling
2009	simples (Compare the Meerkat catchphrase)	unfriend
2010	big society	refudiate
2011	squeezed middle
2012	omnishambles	GIF (noun)
2013	selfie
2014	vape
2015	😂 (Face With Tears of Joy, Unicode: U+1F602, part of emoji)
2016	post-truth
2017	youthquake	Aadhaar
2018	toxic	Nari Shakti or Women Power
2019	climate emergency	Samvidhaan or Constitution
2020	No single word chosen	Aatmanirbharta or Self-Reliance
2021	vax

Grant Barrett

Since 2004, lexicographer Grant Barrett has published a words-of-the-year list, usually in The New York Times, though he does not name a winner.

• 2004
• 2005
• 2006
• 2007
• 2008
• 2009
• 2010
• 2011
• 2012
• 2013 in New York Times, also a more complete list
• 2014 in Dallas Morning News

Dictionary.com

In 2010, Dictionary.com announced its first word of the year, ‘change’, and has done so in December every year since. The selection is based on search trends on the site throughout the year and the news events that drive them.

The following is the list of annual words since beginning with the first in 2010:

• 2010: Change
• 2011: Tergiversate
• 2012: Bluster
• 2013: Privacy
• 2014: Exposure
• 2015: Identity
• 2016: Xenophobia
• 2017: Complicit
• 2018: Misinformation
• 2019: Existential
• 2020: Pandemic
• 2021: Allyship

Similar word lists

A Word a Year

Since 2004, Susie Dent, an English lexicographer has published a column, «A Word a Year», in which she chooses a single word from each of the last 101 years to represent preoccupations of the time. Susie Dent notes that the list is subjective. Each year, she gives a completely different set of words.

Since Susie Dent works for the Oxford University Press, her words of choice are often incorrectly referred to as «Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the Year».

Other countries

In Germany, a Wort des Jahres has been selected since 1972 (for year 1971) by the Society of the German Language. In addition, an Unwort des Jahres (Un-word of the year or No-no Word of the Year) has been nominated since 1991, for a word or phrase in public speech deemed insulting or socially inappropriate (such as «Überfremdung»). Similar selections are made each year since 1999 in Austria, 2002 in Liechtenstein, and 2003 in Switzerland. Since 2008, language publisher Langenscheidt supports a search for the German youth word of the year, which aims to find new words entering the language through the vernacular of young people.

In Denmark, the Word of the year has been selected since 2008 by Danmarks Radio and Dansk Sprognævn.

In Japan, the Kanji of the year (kotoshi no kanji) has been selected since 1995. Kanji are adopted Chinese characters in Japanese language. Japan also runs an annual word of the year contest called » U-Can New and Trendy Word Grand Prix» (U-Can shingo, ryūkōgo taishō) sponsored by Jiyu Kokuminsha. Both the kanji and word/phrases of the year are often reflective of Japanese current events and attitudes. For example, in 2011 following the Fukushima power plant disaster, the frustratingly enigmatic phrase used by Japanese officials before the explosion regarding the possibility of meltdown – «the possibility of recriticality is not zero» (Sairinkai no kanōsei zero de wa nai) – became the top phrase of the year. In the same year, the kanji indicating ‘bond’ (i.e. familial bond or friendship) became the kanji of the year, expressing the importance of collectiveness in the face of disaster.

In Norway, the Word of the year poll is carried out since 2012.

In Portugal, the Word of the year poll is carried out since 2009.

In Russia, the Word of the year poll is carried out since 2007.

In Spain, the Word of the year is carried out by Fundéu since 2013.

In Ukraine, the Word of the year poll is carried out since 2013.

See also

• Language Report from Oxford University Press
• Lists of Merriam-Webster’s Words of the Year
• Neologism
• Doublespeak Award
• Kanji of the year

Further reading

• John Ayto, «A Century of New Words», Series: Oxford Paperback Reference (2007) ISBN 0-19-921369-0
• John Ayto, «Twentieth Century Words», Oxford University Press (1999) ISBN 0-19-860230-8

Notes

The American Dialect Society words of the year, decade, century, and millennium chosen in January 2000 need no introduction. But they could use an explanation.

Word of the Year 1999 was Y2K.

Word of the 1990s Decade was web.

Word of the Twentieth Century was jazz.

Word of the Past Millennium was she.

Yes, she, the feminine pronoun. Before the year 1000, there was no she in English; just heo, which singular females had to share with plurals of all genders because it meant they as well. In the twelfth century, however, she appeared, and she has been with us ever since. She may derive from the Old English feminine demonstrative pronoun seo or sio, or from Viking invasions.

The Oxford English Dictionary explains:

“The phonetic development of various dialects had in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries rendered the pronouns he (masc.) and heo (fem.) almost or wholly indistinguishable in pronunciation. There was therefore, where these dialects were spoken, a strong motive for using the unambiguous feminine demonstrative instead of the feminine personal pronoun. Further, the districts in which she or sho first appears in the place of heo are marked by the abundance of Scandinavian elements in the dialect and place-names; and in Old Norse the demonstrative pronoun (of all genders) is often used as a personal pronoun.”

By a runoff vote of 35 to 27, she edged out science as Word of the Millennium.

The words were chosen at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago on January 7, 2000, during the annual meeting of the American Dialect Society. About 70 members and friends of the Society were present to discuss and vote on nominees selected earlier in the day.

Voting began with Words of the Year 1999. These words were chosen in particular categories, with approximate votes for each:

Most Useful: dot-com, a company operating on the Web. Other nominees: Y2K (28), fatigue (0) as in millennium fatigue, Clinton fatigue.

Most Unnecessary: milly (28), dance for the millennium commissioned by the city of Chicago. Others: compassionate conservative (28), political label of Presidential candidate George W. Bush; birdosaur (22), a flying dinosaur; millennium fatigue (4).

Most Likely to Succeed: dot-com (31) company doing business on the World-Wide Web. Others: portal (9) entry site to the Web, e-tail (7) retail business conducted on the Web, baby Bills (2) companies that Bill Gates’ Microsoft might be broken up into as a result of the government’s antitrust lawsuit.

Most Outrageous: humanitarian intervention, (29) military force used for humanitarian purposes. Others: denim defense (16) victim’s wearing of tight jeans, which require victim’s cooperation in removing, as defense against a rape charge; compassionate conservative (12); Acela (1), Amtrak trademark for new service.

Most Original: cybersquat, (32) to register a Web address intending to sell it at a profit. Others: HMO+ (21) covered by a bad health maintenance organization, analogous to HIV positive; coffee-zilla (3) very strong coffee; logobeef (3), student slang for something thrown over a high balcony.

Most Euphemistic: compassionate conservative(28). Others: Your call is very important to us (22) answering machine message, humanitarian intervention (13), possum-rider (3) student slang for person indiscriminate with sexual partners, m’kay (2) South Park movie substitute for F-word.

Brand New (not attested in previous years): Pokémania, (33) obsession with Pokémon. Others: mousetrapping (19) blocking exit from a Website, trench coat mafia (0) purported clique of students at Columbine High School, Colorado.

It took only one vote to choose Y2K as Word of the Year. Of the final nominees, Y2K got 55 votes, dot-com (5), cybersquat (2), and Pokémania (0).

For Word of the Decade, web received 45 votes, the prefix e- 10, way meaning yes (4), the prefix Franken meaning genetically modified as in Frankenfood (2), ethnic cleansing (0) and senior moment (0).

For Word of the Century, jazz got 50 votes to about 12 for runner-up DNA. Also in the running were the slang cool (10), media (9), T-shirt (7), teenager (6), acronym (4), teddy bear (3), World War (2) and melting pot (0).

For Word of the Millennium, other candidates were the article the (16), OK (13), freedom (7), book (4), human (3), justice (1), truth (1), language (1), government (1), news (0), nature (0), history (0) and go (0).

Founded in 1889, the American Dialect Society comprises linguists, lexicographers, etymologists, historians and other scholars dedicated to the study of the language. Since 1990, the ADS have been electing a «word of the year.» The word of the year is not always a word, but can be a phrase. The word doesn’t necessarily need to be brand-new, either, but must be notable or prominent in the past year. Here are the words that have come out on top.

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2008

Word of the Year: bailout, refers to the rescue by the government of companies on the brink of failure, especially auto, banking and insurance companies.

Most creative: recombobulation area, from a sign at the Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee designating a place where passengers that have just passed through security screening can get their clothes and belongings back in order.

Most Unnecessary: moofing, from «mobile out of office,» meaning working on the go with a laptop and cellphone.

Most Likely to Succeed: shovel-ready, used to describe infrastructure projects that can be started quickly when funds become available.

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2007

Word of the Year: subprime, an adjective used to describe a risky or less-than-ideal loan, mortgage or investment.

Most Useful: green — prefix/compounding form, designates environmental concern, as in greenwashing, when companies hype their products’ environmental credibility.

Most Creative: googlegänger, a person with your name who shows up when you look yourself up on the search engine Google.

Most Unnecessary: Happy Kwanhanamas! Three major religious holidays—Kwanzaa, Hanukkah and Christmas, strung together.

Least Likely to Succeed: strand-in, being stranded inside an airplane on a delayed flight. (On Feb. 14, 2007, Jet Blue kept passengers on board a plane for hours while it sat on the tarmac at John F. Kennedy airport in New York.)

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2006

Word of the Year: to be plutoed, to pluto, to demote or devalue someone or something, as happened to the former planet Pluto when the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union decided it no longer met the definition of a planet.

Most Useful: climate canary, an organism or species whose poor health or declining numbers hint at a larger environmental catastrophe.

Most creative: lactard, a person who is lactose-intolerant.

Most Likely to Succeed: YouTube as a verb, to use the the free online video site YouTube or to have a video of one’s self be posted on the site.

Least likely to succeed: grup, a shortened version of «grown-up,» a Generation-Xer who does not act his or her age.

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2005

Word of the Year: truthiness, what one wishes to be the truth regardless of the facts. Popularized by Stephen Colbert on his mock news show The Colbert Report.

Most Useful: podcast, audio or video file for downloading onto a music player such as an iPod.

Most Creative: whale-tail, the appearance of thong or g-string underwear above the waistband.

Most Unnecessary: K-Fed, Kevin Federline, the ex-husband of pop singer Britney Spears and father of their two sons.

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2004

Word of the Year: red/blue/purple states, red favoring conservative Republicans and blue favoring liberal Democrats (as well as the undecided purple states) on the political map of the United States.

Most Useful: phish, to induce someone to reveal private information by means of deceptive e-mail.

Most Creative: pajamahadeen, a blend of the words «pajamas» and «Mujahideen,» a group of bloggers who challenge and fact-check traditional media.

Least Likely to Succeed: FLOHPA, Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania, important states in the 2004 presidential election.

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2003

Word of the Year: metrosexual, a fashion-conscious, heterosexual male.

Most Useful: flexitarian, vegetarian who occasionally eats meat.

Most Creative: freegan, person who eats only free food.

Most Unnecessary: freedom for «French,» as in fries and kisses. After the French opposed the 2003 United States invasion of Iraq, some Americans began boycotting the word «French.» The result: freedom fries.

Most Likely to Succeed: SARS, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, viral disease first reported in Asia.

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2002

Word of the Year: weapons of mass destruction or WMD, which were being sought for in Iraq.

Most Useful: google (verb), as in «to google someone,» to search the Web using the search engine Google for information on a person or thing.

Most Creative: Iraqnophobia, strong fear of Iraq.

Most Likely to Succeed: blog, from «weblog,» a Web site of personal events, comments and links.

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2001

Word of the Year: 9-11, 9/11 or September 11th, in reference to the terrorist attacks on the U.S. on that date.

Most Useful (tie): facial profiling, using video «faceprints» to identify terrorists and criminals, and second-hand speech, cellphone conversations overheard in public places.

Most Creative: shuicide bomber, terrorist with bomb in shoes. Stems from the thwarted terrorist attack on American Airlines flight 63 in which a terrorist sneaked explosives on board in his hollowed-out shoes.

Most Unnecessary: impeachment nostalgia, longing for the superficial news of the Clinton era.

Least Likely to Succeed: Osamaniac, woman sexually attracted to terrorist Osama bin Laden.

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2000

Word of the Year: chad, a small scrap of paper punched from a voting card.

Most Useful: civil union, a union confirming many of the same rights as marriage. In 2000, Vermont was the first U.S. state to legally recognize civil unions between gay or lesbian couples.

Most Creative: dot bomb, a failed dot-com.

Most Likely to Succeed: muggle, a term from J.K. Rowling’s teen book series Harry Potter for a non-wizard; a mundane, unimaginative person.

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1999

Word of the Year: Y2K, the «millennium bug» caused by the belief that early computers would not be able to switch from representing the year with two digits, causing a national—even global—computer meltdown. (Also word of the year in 1997.)

Most Likely to Succeed and Most Useful: dot-com, a company operating on the Web.

Most Original: cybersquat, to register a Web address of a brand, a company or a celebrity with the intention of selling it or slandering the name.

Brand New (coined during the year, not previously attested): Pokémania, obsession with the Japanese animation series Pokémon.

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1998

Word of the Year: prefix e- , for «electronic,» as in e-mail and newly prominent e-commerce.

Most Original: multislacking, playing on the computer when one should be working.

Most Unnecessary: the entire Monica Lewinsky word family, including Big She as a synonym for M.L. and the verb Lewinsky, to engage in what might be construed as sexual relations.

Least Likely to Succeed: compfusion, confusion over computers.

Most Euphemistic: senior moment, momentary lapse of memory due to age.

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1997

Word of the Year: millennium bug, also known as Y2K bug or Y2K problem. The software glitch that might cause older computers to think the year after 1999 is 1900.

Most Useful: (tie) -[r]azzi, an aggressive pursuer, as in paparazzi or stalkerazzi, and duh (with a falling intonation), expression of someone’s stupidity.

Most Original: prairie dogging, popping one’s head above an office cubicle for the sake of curiosity and then quickly popping back down again, as a prairie dog would do out of his hole.

Most Likely to Succeed: DVD, Digital Versatile Disk, optical disk beginning to replace compact discs (CDs) and VHS tapes.

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1996

Word of the Year: mom, as in soccer mom, newly significant type of voter courted by both candidates during the presidential campaign. That phrase spun off other designations, such as minivan mom and waitress mom.

Most Useful: dot, used instead of «period» in e-mail and URL addresses.

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1995

Word(s) of the year: (tie) World Wide Web, also known as the Web, WWW, W3, refers to the newly prominent resource on the Internet; and newt, meaning to make aggressive changes as a newcomer, but also found in combinations like Newt World Order and Newtspeak. Reflects the new prominence of Newt Gingrich, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Most Useful: E.Q. (for Emotional Quotient), the ability to manage one’s emotions, seen as a factor in achievement.

Most Original: postal or go postal, to act irrationally, often violently, in reaction to stress at work.

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1994

Word(s) of the Year: (tie) cyber, pertaining to computers and electronic communication, and morph, to change form. Related to the popular children’s show Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers and used in figurative senses, such as «their business morphed from servers to PCs.»

Most Promising: Infobahn, the Internet. Refers to the high-speed German autobahn.

Most Euphemistic: challenged, indicating an undesirable or unappealing condition, as in «height-challenged» for «short.»

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1993

Word of the Year: information superhighway, network linking computers, television, telephone and other electronic means of communication.

Most Useful: thing, premodified by a noun, e.g., «a Chicago thing.»

Most Imaginative: McJob, a generic, unstimulating, low-paying job.

Most Euphemistic: street builder, a homeless person who constructs a shanty.

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1992

Word of the Year: Not! Expression of disagreement.

Most Likely to Succeed: snail mail, s-mail, «slow» mail that is physically delivered, as opposed to e-mail.

Most Useful: grunge, a style of clothing.

Most Unnecessary: gender feminism, belief that sex roles are social, not biological.

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1991

Word of the Year: mother of all — , greatest, most impressive. Originates from Saddam Hussein’s declaration at the start of Operation Desert Storm during the Persian Golf War that the «mother of all battles has begun.»

Most Successful: in your face, aggressive, confrontational, flamboyant.

Most Original: molecular pharming, pharming, genetically modifying farm animals to produce human proteins for pharmaceutical use.

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1990

Word of the Year: bushlips, insincere political rhetoric in relation to former U.S. President George H.W. «read my lips» Bush.

Most Likely to Succeed: (tie) notebook PC, a portable personal computer weighting four to eight pounds, and rightsizing, adjusting the size of a staff by laying off employees.

Most Useful: (tie) technostupidity, loss of ability through dependence on machines, and potty parity, equalization of toilet facilities for the sexes.

Most Outrageous: politically correct, PC, adhering to principles of left-wing social concern.

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