The New Oxford American Dictionary considered a slew of new words for the 2009 Word of the Year. The technology sector contributed heavily to the roster of candidates – particularly from the realm of social media – with new additions such as “hashtag” and “tweetup” growing out of the much talked about site Twitter. The world of fashion, the economy, and politics and current events also pitched in with words like “jeggings,” “Great Recession,”“zombie bank,” and “snollygoster.”
So, which new word took top prize? “Unfriend” was bestowed the title of 2009 Word of the Year by the lexicographers at Oxford, a verb meaning “to remove someone as a ‘friend’ on a social networking site such as Facebook.”
For a more complete list of the contenders for the 2009 Word of the Year along with their definitions, take a peek at this article by The Telegraph.
