Oxford University Press announced the New Oxford American Dictionary's Word of the Year (WOTY) for 2009:
unfriend - verb - To remove someone as a 'friend' on a social networking site such as Facebook.
As in, "Lucius made an obnoxious comment on my Facebook wall so I decided to unfriend him."
In 2008, the Word of the Year was hypermiling, and in 2007, locovore. Other WOTY front-runners considered this year by Oxford University Press included:
sexting - the sending of sexually explicit texts and pictures by cellphone
funemployed - taking advantage of one's newly unemployed status to have fun or pursue other interests
birther - a conspiracy theorist who challenges President Obama's birth certificate
ecotown - a town built and run on eco-friendly principles
See the full list and weigh in with your opinion about the WOTY at the Oxford University Press Blog.
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