things looking up — defining 2004
Merriam-Webster’s Words of the Year 2004 have been announced.
It’s a list of the ten words that have been looked up the most at the M-W
online dictionary and thesaurus in 2004.
Most webloggers will take special notice, I’m sure, that the word “blog” was came in at
#1. In fact, as TalkLeft notes, “blog” will be a new entry in the 2005 version of the
Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition. Here’s the M-W definition:
Blog noun [short for Weblog] (1999) : a Web site that contains an online
personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided
by the writer
I’m sure there will be plenty of quibbling over the definition, but I plan to stay out of
that loop (find other defintions of “blog” at OneLook Dictionary and Ask Jeeves).
Of course, I need to preserve my customary objection to the adoption of that ugly
little word. Click here for a brief history of the word “blog” (and my plea that we
do better from now on as we create our online and technological Language Legacy).
I have a different observation: M-W’s Top Ten List gives a remarkably good sketch
of the events of 2004 — an outline of words on the minds of many Americans. In addition
to “blog,” here’s the list:
2. incumbent
3. electoral
4. insurgent
5. hurricane
6. cicada
7. peloton : noun (1951) : the main body of riders in a bicycle race
8. partisan
9. sovereignty
10. defenestration
There are still 31 days left in 2004. I wonder what events in America or
around the world could change this list, as we go online to better understand the words
that are important to be well-informed citizens, students, parents, and human beings.
looking up, wrinkles
looking down, wrinkles…
a cold night
drawing words
in an old tray’s ashes…
winter cold
Kobayashi ISSA, translated by David G. Lanoue
The things looking up -- defining 2004 by David Giacalone, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.