[caption id="attachment_6699" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Webster dictionary"]
[/caption]Carol Forsloff - Merriam Webster
is more than a dictionary. It is a recitation of current events in
words, and this year it unveils the most popular word of the year.
In relationship to the recession, the favorite word is austerity,
a word looked up over and over again, likely to give that message to
many people, since that is the key to getting through difficult times.
Austerity
is defined as "enforced or extreme economy." It seems in keeping with
the global conditions, the debt crises and how those events impact
people.
"Austerity clearly resonates with many people," said Peter Sokolowski, Editor at Large at Merriam-Webster,
who monitors online dictionary searches. "We often hear it used in the
context of government measures, but we also apply it to our own
personal finances and what is sometimes called the new normal."
Number two on the list is pragmatic, which also likely reflects the mood of the times. Pragmatic was a word second to austerity as the one most frequently looked up and thus popular.
. "In a way, the popularity of pragmatic is reminiscent of 2005, when integrity was the most frequently looked-up word," said John M. Morse, President and Publisher of Merriam-Webster.
"In both cases, I think the word described a quality that people value
highly, want to understand fully, and are looking for in their leaders."
