And the Winner is...

Since the year 2004, Oxford University Press has selected a word that is deemed "Word of the Year." The selected word is one that "highlights the language that has shaped our conversations and reflected the cultural shifts, patterns, and sentiments of a particular year." Lexicographers create a short list of six words and those words are open for a public vote. It is certainly a trip down memory lane to look back at a few of the selected words from years gone by.

In 2005, the word podcast was the winner. As a near-Luddite, I remember my bafflement as I listened to my much younger colleagues discussing favorite podcasts. This word had as much meaning to me as sdlfkjwero (I made that word up, by the way). As time marched on, I now know how to access podcasts and I even have a few favorites. But, I confess that the difference between a podcast and an old-fashioned radio show is still a bit puzzling to me.

2013 ushered in the word selfie. I am not going to sugar-coat this one, folks. I still cannot take a selfie. Period. I feel cameras were originally designed to focus in one direction and that certainly was not at my own face. I will leave the selfies to the cute and hip.

Sadly, 2014 introduced us to the word vape. The distinction between vaping and smoking is a bit foggy. The addition of flavorings to the inhalation process seems to be the distinction. Tomato, tomahto. Both habits are strongly ill-advised in my opinion.

2015 was a bit of a departure from words. It was the Face-with-Tears-of-Joy emoji that received top billing. Many folks were not complete strangers to emojis but it took a few years for it to become mainstream, unless you had a dumb phone like me. I posit that early indigenous peoples were the inventors of such things and a little more creative.

Last year's word had no meaning for me and I had to look it up. It is the word rizz. I apologize in advance if there is a nefarious nuance to the word that I do not understand but according to Oxford it is a "colloquial noun that means "style, charm, or attractiveness; the ability to attract a romantic partner". Apparently, it is a riff on the word charisma. I suppose for the sake of Tik Tok brevity, rizz is better than charisma.

Drumroll please. The 2024 word of the year is brain rot. There is so much low-hanging fruit for this word. I will simply state the given definition: “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging." Yup. That makes total sense.

As we lean into the holiday season, I hope your podcasts are interesting, your selfies are bright and brain rot is kept to a minimum.