In the previous entry, I tried to get you all excited about the impending selection of the 2010 Word of the Year by the members of the American Dialect Society. In that entry, I speculated about what that WOTY might be and offered some of my own suggestions. At the time, I didn't think they were very good. As it turns out, I was spot on!
Take a moment to review, won't you? HERE is a link to the entry.
Now, the big reveal!
A successful marketing campaign helped make app (see? I told you so) the 2010 Word of the Year as chosen by members of the AMERICAN DIALECT SOCIETY. They met January 7, 2011 in Pittsburgh. You can read the entire news release HERE.
The fine folks at the ADS admit that app (which is short for "application" and refers to a software program for a computer or phone operating system) isn't exactly new. But, they say that with a large push from an ad campaign ("there's an app for that") and the emergence of "app stores," app has become a word that even your grandmother might know. The power of the app is further proven by the fact that it beat out words including "trend" (see below) and "junk" for WOTY honors.
The ADS also selected winning words in other categories. They included:
- MOST USEFUL: nom Onomatopoetic form connoting eating, esp. pleasurably. Can be used as an interjection or noun to refer to delicious food
- MOST CREATIVE: prehab Preemptive enrollment in a rehab facility to prevent relapse of an abuse problem
- MOST UNNECESSARY: refudiate (another of my choices) Blend of refute and repudiate used by Sarah Palin on Twitter
- MOST OUTRAGEOUS: gate rape Pejorative term for invasive new airport pat-down procedure
- MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED: trend Verb: to exhibit a burst of online buzz
Well, I mustn't get carried away with my prognosticating skills. One good guess does not exactly establish a pattern. Still, the pressure is now on to repeat in 2011. Can I do it again? Who knows. If only there were an app for that...