Language | 2006 Word Of The Year

The American Dialect Society has selected plutoed as its 2006 Word of the Year. To be plutoed is to be demoted or devalued, as in the case of the late planet Pluto, which has been reclassified by the International Astronomical Union as a dwarf planet.

Plutoed narrowly beat out climate canary for the honor.  A climate canary is defined as “any organism or species whose poor health or declining numbers hint at a larger environmental catastrophe on the horizon.”  Climate canary did receive a consolation prize, being named the Most Useful Wordof the Year.

Other notable new terms include lactard (a person who is lactose-intolerant), to julie (to organize an event, in the manner of The Love Boat’s cruise director Julie McCoy), and snowclone (an expression who’s structure is borrowed to create new, similar expressions, e.g. X is the new Y).  Snowcloning is a favorite technique of copywriters everywhere.

Founded in 1889, the American Dialect Society is dedicated to the study of the English language in North America, and of other languages, or dialects of other languages, influencing it or influenced by it.