The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has been unable to name its traditional word of the year for 2020, instead exploring how far and how quickly the language has developed this year.
"It quickly became apparent that 2020 is not a year that could neatly be accommodated in one single 'word of the year,'" the OED said, with the language adapting "rapidly and repeatedly.
"The report, titled "Words of an Unprecedented Year," uses an adjective that has itself seen a big spike in use during 2020.
"Though what was genuinely unprecedented this year was the hyper-speed at which the English-speaking world amassed a new collective vocabulary relating to the coronavirus, and how quickly it became, in many instances, a core part of the language," the report reads.
It moves through the year, detailing the most important words in certain months, based on spikes in use, from "bushfire" in January, when Australia suffered its worst fire season on record, to "acquittal" in February, when US President Donald Trump's impeachment trial ended.
From March onward, terms related to the coronavirus pandemic start to dominate, including "Covid-19," a completely new word, first recorded on February 11; "lockdown," "social distancing" and "reopening."
Oxford English Dictionary couldn't pick just one 'word of the year' for 2020 https://t.co/Hb21lao4NL
— CBS46 (@cbs46) November 23, 2020
In June, use of the phrase "Black Lives Matter" exploded, followed by "cancel culture" and "BIPOC," an abbreviation of "Black, indigenous and other people of color."
"Mail-in" and "Belarusian" were both flagged as words of the month for August, referring to mail-in voting for the US election and the controversial reelection of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, respectively.
"Moonshot," the name the UK government gave to its mass coronavirus testing program, appears in September, while "net zero" and "superspreader" are highlighted in October.
Net zero refers to Chinese President Xi Jinping's pledge that the country will be carbon neutral by 2060, and superspreader, a word that dates to the 1970s, according to the OED, saw a spike in use after a cluster of Covid-19 cases at the White House.
The OED named "climate emergency" as word of the year in 2019, and "toxic" in 2018.
Latest Stories
-
Boeing strike ends as workers accept new contract
24 mins -
GAF will not relent in its quest to counter external threats – GOC Southern Command
28 mins -
Election 2024: Bawumia reiterates commitment to promote sustainable mining practices
29 mins -
Ensign Global College promotes health and community well-being at Ngmayem Festival 2024
31 mins -
Bobrisky reveals reason for leaving Nigeria
55 mins -
Tiwa Savage discloses ‘craziest thing I’ve ever done for love’
1 hour -
US states worried about election unrest take security precautions
1 hour -
Modi condemns violence after Canada temple incident
2 hours -
Barcelona hit by new flood as rescuers search Valencia basement car park
2 hours -
Labadi Beach Hotel pays over GH¢16m as dividend to SSNIT
2 hours -
Elon Musk can keep giving $1m to voters, judge rules
2 hours -
Election must not divide us, government will protect each citizen – Akufo Addo
2 hours -
Novel way to beat dengue: Deaf mosquitoes stop having sex
3 hours -
Trial begins over beheading of teacher who showed Prophet Muhammed cartoon
3 hours -
‘See you soon’ – Bobrisky jets out of Nigeria
3 hours