Merriam-Webster recalled in its statement that the pandemic and the use of vaccines to contain it forced the publisher to expand the definitions for this word.
“Vaccine” was chosen the word of the year in the United States according to the publishing house Merriam-Webster, specialized in dictionaries.
This is what he points out this Monday in a statement in which he highlights other words that were among the most sought after this year, starting with “insurrection”, due to the assault on the US Congress on January 6.
If in 2020 it was a “pandemic”, this year “vaccine” has been the word of the year, chosen for being the most searched in dictionaries and, above all, for the increase in interest compared to 2020, with an increase in searches 601 percent.
The word ‘vaccine’
– saw a 601% increase in lookups this year over last.
– had continual spikes of attention through the year.
– was about much more than medicine in 2021.‘Vaccine’ is our 2021 #WordOfTheYear.https://t.co/i7QlIv15M3
– Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) November 29, 2021
An increase that is much greater, of 1,048 percent, when compared to 2019, the year in which the pandemic had not yet arrived.
Merriam-Webster recalls in its statement that the pandemic and the use of vaccines to contain it forced the publisher to expand its entry for this word, which it did last May.
The previous definition of vaccine spoke of “a preparation to kill microorganisms, live attenuated organisms or virulent organisms that was administered to produce or increase immunity against a disease”.
With the events of this year the editorial changed to this definition: “preparation that is administered (also by injection) to stimulate the immune response against specific infections, agents or diseases.”
And then he divides this possible preparation into two types: by means of a pathogen such as a bacterium or virus or one of its components or by means of a genetic preparation that uses the cells of the body to produce an antigenic substance.
“Insurrection”, another word that gained relevance in 2021
After the word of the year, Merriam-Webster highlights another that inevitably began to be consulted at the beginning of the year: “insurrection”.
The events of January 6, when supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed the United States Capitol, led to interest in this word skyrocketing, especially when it began to appear in press headlines, the statement said.
According to Merriam-Webster
The definition of insurrection, according to their dictionaries, is an “act or intention of revolt against the civil authority or the established Government.”
Another of the most sought after this year was “perseverance”, for the successful landing of “Perseverance” on Mars in February.
“Nomad”, for the movie “Nomadland” or “infrastructure”, for the ambitious reconstruction plan that Joe Biden’s government managed to approve shortly before the end of the year are other of the most searched words in the United States this 2021. (I )
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