Our word of the year
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What even is a “word of the year”? The dictionary-publishers, language societies and newspapers—including, yes, The Economist—that are in the habit of picking one face several choices. Is it a notable vocable newly coined in the past 12 months? A bit of zeitgeisty slang? A word that was constantly in the news? One that people were most often looking up on dictionary websites? Or one that seems to encapsulate the year?
I went with this last approach in selecting the word of 2024. It sums up the story of the year, the return of Donald Trump and his MAGA movement to power. The word is hardly brand-new; it was coined in the 17th century, using ancient Greek roots. But searches for it spiked when Mr Trump announced many of his top appointees. It is a word about power, made up of hard, angry sounds. Somehow that just seemed right for the tense moment the world is going through just now.
Lane Greene , Senior digital editor
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Founder at New American Spring
2 个月I correct myself! Having come to appreciate the significance of Trump recently, I change my word to "precipice." See what I mean here-- https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/beyond-trump-roger-farinha-hhwle?
OK Bo?tjan Dolin?ek
Social Media Marketing Specialist at Upwork
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President at Elec-Tron
2 个月what is the word?!