2007 Words of the Year: W00t, Locavore, and More

Merriam-Webster Inc. announced the word of the year for 2007 is 'w00t', which is usually spelled with two zeroes instead of using the letter "o" The word "w00t" is a celebratory exclamation such as "yay" or "yippee." Words chosen by Merriam-Webster are based upon online searches at its Web site. Previous years' selections for word of the year have been: "truthiness" (noun) in 2006, and "integrity" in 2005.

Merriam-Webster is not the only company or organization that selects a 'word of the year'. Each January, the American Dialect Society selects a word or phrase based upon its notability during the year. Words are nominated, and members of the society then vote for the word or phrase they feel was the most prominent. In 2006, the term 'plutoed' was selected due to the news about Pluto's status being downgraded from a planet.

The American Dialect Society clarifies the guidelines for word (or phrase) of the year nominations, "The word-of-the-year vote is not a formal induction of words into the American language, but a whimsical affair. Nominate accordingly." A few of the nominations for the 2007 award are 'celebutard' (dumb female celebrity), 'don't tase me, bro' (reference to the Andrew Meyer tasing incident of 2007), 'Feliz Kwanhanamas' (Feliz Navidad + Happy Kwanza + Happy Hannukah + Merry Christmas), 'ftw' (for the win), 'gorno' (really gory horror movie), 'toe-tapper' (homosexual), and 'truther' (9/11 conspiracy theorist).

New Oxford Dictionary also selects a word of the year. For 2007 the winner is the word 'locavore' which is the name for a person who only eats locally produced and grown foods. An alternate spelling is 'localvore'. The 2006 winner was 'carbon neutral' and in 2005 the word was 'podcast'. New Oxford Dictionary's editors nominate their choice for word for the year, and the Editor-in-Chief then makes the final decision.

If I were to nominate a word, the first one that comes to mind is 'pwned' simply because of how frequently I have run across it in 2007. 'Pwned' is a slang term referring to the act of utterly annihilating an opponent. As an example of its usage: "[Insert name of winning sports team here] pwned [insert name of the losing sports team here] in the playoffs."

SOURCES:

"w00t" crowned word of year by U.S. Dictionary. Jason Szep. Dec 11,2007 7:21pm EST. Reuters.
http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSN1155159520071212
(Accessed December 20, 2007)

Merriam-Webster's Words of the Year 2006. Merriam-Webster.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/info/06words.htm
(Accessed December 20, 2007)

Merriam-Webster's Words of the Year 2005. Merriam-Webster.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/info/05words.htm
(Accessed December 20, 2007)

"Plutoed" Voted 2006 Word of the Year. Press Release. January 5, 2007. American Dialect Society.
http://www.americandialect.org/Word-of-the-Year_2006.pdf
(Accessed December 20, 2007)

Nominate Your 2007 Words of the Year. November 17, 2007. American Dialect Society.
http://www.americandialect.org/index.php/amerdial/nominate_your_2007_words_of_the_year/
(Accessed December 22, 2007)

Early Word of the Year Nominations for 2007. December 18, 2007. American Dialect Society.
http://www.americandialect.org/index.php/amerdial/early_word_of_the_year_nominations_for_2007/
(Accessed December 22, 2007)

Nominations for the American Dialect Society's 2007 Words-of-the-Year Vote. Wayne Glowka. American Dialect Society.
http://www.americandialect.org/Glowka_WOTY_2007.pdf
(Accessed December 22, 2007)

Nominations for the American Dialect Society's 2007 Words-of-the-Year Vote. Grant Barrett. American Dialect Society.
http://www.americandialect.org/Barrett_WOTY_2007.pdf
(Accessed December 22, 2007)

Oxford Word of the Year: Locavore. November 12, 2007. OUP Blog.
http://blog.oup.com/2007/11/locavore/
(Accessed December 20, 2007)

Oxford Word of the Year: Carbon Neutral. November 13, 2006. OUP Blog.
http://blog.oup.com/2006/11/carbon_neutral_/
(Accessed December 20, 2007)

"Podcast" is the Word of the Year. Oxford University Press.
http://www.oup.com/us/brochure/NOAD_podcast/?view=usa
(Accessed December 20, 2007)