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The definition of vaccine has been expanded to reflect the times, and it has been declared the word of the year in 2021.
Peter Sokolowski, editor-at-large of the dictionary, told The Associated Press that this was a word that was very high in their data.
It is really two different stories. The science story is about the rapid development of the vaccines. Policy, politics, and political affiliation are some of the topics that are debated. He said it was one word that carried the two big stories.
The Oxford English Dictionary has a word of the year. Last year, it was chosen as the top lookup by the online site.
The aftereffects of the Pandemic are being felt.
When the first U.S. shot was administered in New York in December, the number of lookups for "vaccine" increased by 601%. The first jab in the world happened in the UK.
Compared to the year before, when there was little chatter about vaccines, the number of searches for "mermaid-Webster" increased by over a thousand%. There were debates over inequitable distribution, vaccine mandates and boosters. There was vaccine hesitancy and vaccine passport issues.
The word "vaccine" wasn't created in a day or two. The first use of fluid from cowpox was in the late 19th century. It was borrowed from the New Latin "vaccina," which means "of or from a cow." The Sanskrit word for cow is vasa, which is similar to the Latin word for cow.
The act of injecting an "inoculum" is referred to as inoculation.
The online entry for "vaccine" was added earlier this year to cover all the talk of messenger vaccines such as Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna's COVID-19.
While other dictionary companies choose words by committee, Merriam-Webster bases its selection on the number of searches it receives and the number of spikes it sees. Since 2008, the company has declared a word of the year. The word biography was among its runners-up.
The deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol drove interest. Congressional hearings over the attack by supporters of President Donald Trump continue. Some of Trump's allies have resisted subpoenas.
Over the course of 2020, searches for the word increased by 61,000%.
President Joe Biden was able to deliver on what Trump had said he would do, but never achieved: a bipartisan infrastructure bill. When Biden proposed help with broadband access, eldercare and preschool, the conversation changed from roads and bridges tofigurative infrastructure.
Many people wondered what infrastructure was if it wasn't made out of steel or concrete. He said that infrastructure is underneath the structure.
It is the name of NASA's latest Mars rover. It arrived Feb. 18, 2021. The space agency said thatPerseverance is the most sophisticated rover NASA has ever sent to the Red Planet, with a name that embodies NASA's passion, and our nation's capability, to take on and overcome challenges.
Alexander Mather is a 14-year-old student at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Virginia. He was a participant in the essay contest. He was one of the students who submitted entries.
The word had its moment with the film. It won three Oscars in April 2021, including best picture, director and actress. The first woman of color to win best director was Zhao.
Jake Coyle of the AP said the success was a plain-spoken meditation on solitude, grief and resilience. He wrote that it was a big hit in the year of the Pandemic. A film about people who gravitate to the margins took center stage, making for an unlikely Oscar champ.
The Cleveland Indians became the Cleveland Guardians, meta, and cisgender were among the words in the Top 10.
The word of the year is a word by the dictionary.
There is an update post.
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