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According to officials of the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the most looked up word in 2017 was feminism. In one year, lookups for the word increased 70 percent over 2016 on Merriam-Webster.com, and searches have spiked several times after key events, lexicographer Peter Sokolowski, the company’s editor at large, told the Associated Press.
“Surreal” was the word of the year last year.
Feminism’s roots date to 14th-century English. Sokolowski had to look no further than his company’s founder, Noah Webster, for the first dictionary reference, in 1841. “It was a very new word at that time,” Sokolowski said. “His definition is not the definition that you and I would understand today. His definition was ‘the qualities of females,’ so, basically, feminism to Noah Webster meant femaleness.”
On the flip side, the most disliked word use is “whatever.” Every year the Marist Institute for Public Opinion (MIPO) — a survey research center — conducts a poll, and for nine straight years, Americans say “whatever” is the most annoying word or phrase used in casual conversation.
“Surreal” was the word of the year last year.
Feminism’s roots date to 14th-century English. Sokolowski had to look no further than his company’s founder, Noah Webster, for the first dictionary reference, in 1841. “It was a very new word at that time,” Sokolowski said. “His definition is not the definition that you and I would understand today. His definition was ‘the qualities of females,’ so, basically, feminism to Noah Webster meant femaleness.”
On the flip side, the most disliked word use is “whatever.” Every year the Marist Institute for Public Opinion (MIPO) — a survey research center — conducts a poll, and for nine straight years, Americans say “whatever” is the most annoying word or phrase used in casual conversation.
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