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'Unfriend' Named Word of the Year

by Amar Toor on November 17, 2009 at 11:05 AM

After a year that saw so much action and chaos on the political, economic, and pop cultural fronts, the New Oxford American Dictionary has decided that 2009's vaunted Word of the Year should be firmly planted in the new social media lexicon. The envelope, please...

That's right, ladies and gentlemen, "unfriend" is your 2009 Word of the Year (cue applause). The Oxford Dictionary defines this year's winner thusly:

unfriend – verb – To remove someone as a "friend" on a social networking site such as Facebook.




Christine Lindberg, Senior Lexicographer for Oxford's U.S. dictionary program, justified the choice, saying that the word "has both currency and potential longevity." She also noted its morphological uniqueness, saying:

"Most 'un- ' prefixed words are adjectives (unacceptable, unpleasant), and there are certainly some familiar 'un-' verbs (uncap, unpack), but 'unfriend' is different from the norm. It assumes a verb sense of 'friend' that is really not used (at least not since maybe the 17th century!). Unfriend has real lex-appeal."

Among the other tech words up for consideration were 'hashtag,' 'intexicated,' 'netbook,' and 'sexting.' Several economic (e.g., 'freemium,' 'funemployed') and political terms (e.g., 'birther,' 'death panel') were in the running, as well. We understand the lexicographical justification for 'unfriend,' and do think that Facebook's infiltration of our vernacular is worthy of recognition. At the same time, we have to admit, we're just a bit disappointed that 'teabagger' fell short of the winner's circle. [From: Oxford University Press Blog, via Mashable]

Tags: facebook, language, New Oxford American Dictionary, NewOxfordAmericanDictionary, socialnetworking, top, word of the year, WordOfTheYear

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