Merriam-Webster names word of the year
Posted December 20, 2010 9:30 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Twitter, iPad, iPod, phone and spill cam, are all common words used today. According to Merriam-Webster, the word of 2010 is “austerity.”
Officials at the dictionary said “austerity” topped several other finalists, after people searched the internet for the word’s meaning during the Greece debt crisis.
Earlier this year, Greece passed a series of strict austerity measures, including tax hikes and public-sector pay cuts, that resulted in massive protests and riots.
Runners-up for the word of the year were announced Monday and included “pragmatic,” “moratorium,” “socialism” and “bigot.”
