As the world is dealing with a global pandemic, since 2020, and because of the frequent use of the word “vax,” the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) announced the word as the “word of the year 2021”.
The OED word of 2021 highlights the medical emergency and rise in the use of Covid-19 vaccines. According to the report by the Oxford Languages, the word ‘vax’ has appeared more than 72 times by September, as compared to the previous year.
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The statement released by Oxford read, “Vax is our 2021 Word of the Year. When our lexicographers began digging into our English language corpus data it quickly became apparent that vax was a particularly striking term. A relatively rare word in our corpus until this year, by September it was over 72 times more frequent than at the same time last year. It has generated numerous derivatives that we are now seeing in a wide range of informal contexts, from vax sites and vax cards to getting vaxxed and being fully vaxxed, no word better captures the atmosphere of the past year than vax”.
As per the reports, the words related to vax are "vaccinate" and "vaccination", which has also witnessed a hike by 34 times and 18 times respectively.
In 2020, there wasn’t a word of the year. “2020 is not a year that could neatly be accommodated in one single “word of the year”, so we have decided to report more expansively on the phenomenal breadth of language change and development over the year in our Words of an Unprecedented Year report,” the statement by Oxford read.
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Previous words of the year by the Oxford Dictionary
2019 – Climate Emergency
2018 – Toxic
2017 – Youthquake
2016 – Post-truth
2015 – Emoticon of face with tears of Joy
2014 – Vape
2013 – Selfie
2012 – Omnishambles
2011 – Squeezed middle