And Word of The Year Is.... 'Culture'
Merriam-Webster's 2014 Words of the Year list has been topped by the word 'culture.' The list is compiled by analyzing the top annual increases on word look-ups on the dictionary publisher's website.
The word 'culture' peaked in the search because of the headline dominating topics like "rape culture" and "celebrity culture."
"Nostalgia" was at number two in the list while number three spot was reserved by the word "insidious". These had peaked due to their entertainment connection.
The word "Nostalgia" spiked in searches related to discussions about backward-looking shows like Mad Men and Boardwalk Empire, along with the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' arrival in America, The Rolling Stone reported.
"Insidious" was famous because of the announcement of the horror sequel Insidious 3. Death of Thomas Eric Duncan, the first individual in the U.S. to be diagnosed with Ebola also made people search the word. Texas Health Resources had called Ebola an "insidious disease."
The complete Word of The Year list can be seen on Merriam-Webster's website.
