“Lockdown” now has been declared as the word of the year for 2020 by Collins Dictionary, after a sharp rise in its utilization through the pandemic.
It “encapsulates the shared expertise of billions of individuals,” Collins stated.
Lexicographers registered greater than 250,000 usages of “lockdown” throughout 2020, up from merely 4,000 final 12 months.
Different pandemic-linked phrases on the 10-strong record embody “furlough,” “key employee,” “self-isolate,” and “social distancing” in addition to “coronavirus.”
Based on the dictionary, lockdown is outlined as “the imposition of stringent restrictions on a journey, social interplay, and entry to public areas.”
It got here into frequent parlance as governments worldwide responded to the unfold of Covid-19 in early 2020 by putting the strict measure to cease transmission of the virus.
Non-virus associated phrases to make the record replicate the social and political upheavals of 2020.
Following the loss of life of the unarmed black man George Floyd within the US, the abbreviation “BLM” for the Black Lives Matter motion, options having registered a 581% improvement in utilization, based on Collins.
Black Lives Matter protests noticed BLM added to the phrase of the 12 months record.
“Megxit,” the time period modeled on the phrase Brexit, which was used to withdraw the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from royal duties, also makes the record.
Social media additionally performs its half with “TikToker,” describing somebody who shares content material on platform TikTok, a period originating in South Korea, which describes a bunch who broadcasts movies of themselves consuming massive portions of meals.
Helen Newstead, a language content material marketing consultant at Collins, stated: “Language is a mirrored image of the world around us, and the worldwide pandemic has dominated 2020.
“Lockdown has affected how we work, research, store, and socialize.
“With many international locations coming into a second lockdown, it’s not a phrase of the 12 months to have fun; however, it’s, maybe, one which sums up the 12 months for many of the worlds.”
Fifteen 12 months previous Swedish pupil Greta Thunberg leads a college strike and sits outdoors of Riksdagen, the Swedish parliament constructing, to raise consciousness for local weather change on August 28, 2018, in Stockholm, Sweden.
Local weather strike was chosen because of the 2019 phrase of the 12 months after campaigns by activists comparable to Greta Thunberg.
Last year Collins word of the yr was “local weather strike”, marking the year during which 17-year-old Greta Thunberg led a worldwide environmental motion.
Earlier Collins words of the year
- 2019: Local weather strike
- 2018: Single-use
- 2017: Fake news
- 2016: Brexit
- 2015: Binge-watch
- 2014: Photobomb
- 2013: Geek
