Brexit has been named the Collins dictionary's Word of the Year for 2016 after an unprecedented rise in its usage.

The word Brexit (British exit) is defined as the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. It was first recorded by dictionary publisher Collins in 2013. Collins has noted an unprecedented 3,400% increase in the word’s usage, in 2016, as a historic referendum in the UK voted the country’s exit from the EU in June.

"Brexit is arguably politics' most important contribution to the English language in over 40 years, since the Watergate scandal gave commentators and comedians the suffix -gate to make any incident or scandal infinitely more compelling," said Helen Newstead, Collins' head of language content.

The main contenders to Collins’ Word of the Year title were:

Hygge - a Danish concept that means creating cozy and convivial atmospheres that promote wellbeing)

mic drop - a theatrical gesture in which a person drops or imitates the action of dropping a hand-held microphone to the ground as the finale to a speech or performance

Trumpism - a term that defines the policies advocated by the US politician Donald Trump or a controversial/outrageous statement attributed to Donald Trump

throw shade - which means making a public show of contempt for someone or something, often in a subtle or non-verbal manner

Collins’ Word of the Year is a word that the publisher's lexicographers have identified as having been notably more visible in the last year. It may be a brand-new word or an existing one that has seen its popularity increase because of current events or trends.

Several organizations also announce Words of the Year for promotional purposes. Merriam-Webster and Oxford University Press, two other big dictionary publishers, also announce their own word of the year at the end of each year.

However, the only one that is announced after the end of the calendar year, determined by a vote of independent linguists, and not tied to commercial interests, is the American Dialect Society's Word of the Year.

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editor@romania-insider.com