Could it be green? Recovery? Economy? No, yesterday the New Oxford American Dictionary announced its word of the year is “unfriend.” Defined as “verb – To remove someone as a ‘friend’ on a social networking site such as Facebook.” Or, according to Urban Dictionary, “One of the many ways to bitch slap someone on ‘Teh Interweb.'” Notable finalists include “intexticated,” “sexting,” “teabagger (a person who protests President Obama’s tax policies and stimulus package),” and “deleb (a dead celebrity).” I think that this is an excellent tradition, and I decided to compile a list of my favorite historical words of the year, which are telling signs of each era’s zeitgeist:

• migrant labour (1913)
• male chauvinism (1936)
• tween-age (1938)
• passion killers – unattractive underwear which was standard issue in wartime. (1943)
• Watergate (1972)
• F-word (1973) (’72 and ’73s word used in conjunction)
• to e-mail (1987)
• metrosexual (1994)
• Viagra (1996)
• to sex something up (2003)
• bovvered (2006)

What’s your favorite contribution Oxford Dictionary has made to the English language? Check out some new words being added here. Maybe you’ll be able to use one on your next term paper!

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