Culture

The 2012 Word of the Year: Hashtag

In a final vote of 118 to 99 in a runoff against marriage equality (winner of "Most Likely to Succeed"), at the annual Word of the Year event held by the American Dialect Society, hashtag took it home.

By Jen Doll
Saved Stories
This article is from the archive of our partner .

The word of the year for 2012 is hashtag. #Hashtag, a word someone also dared to name a baby in 2012 ... so, I guess that cements it. In a final vote of 118 to 99 in a runoff against marriage equality (winner of "Most Likely to Succeed"), at the annual Word of the Year event held by the American Dialect Society, hashtag took it home. A round of applause for the word lover's version of the Academy Awards. That was exciting!

There were other wins, too, as there were a number of categories also up for votes. According to the results tweeted by the @AmericanDialect Society, here are the category winners, along with their competition (additions to our earlier list of finalists were nominated from the floor):

MOST USEFUL
WINNER: In a runoff with YOLO, -(po)calypse, -(ma)geddon nabbed it, 115-62. 

Also nominated:
beardruff
hate-watching

MOST CREATIVE
WINNER: gate lice, after a runoff with mansplaining (93-90)

Also nominated:
alpacalypse
dancelexia

MOST UNNECESSARY
WINNER: legitimate rape, 94 votes

Also nominated: 
Frankenstorm
HD
feels

MOST OUTRAGEOUS
WINNER: legitimate rape, 156 votes

Also nominated:
Dunlop effect
slut-shaming
butt-chugging

MOST EUPHEMISTIC
WINNER: self-deportation, 142 votes

Also nominated:
disruptive
Gray Thursday
ratchet
evolution

MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED
WINNER: marriage equality, 156 votes

Also nominated:
fiscal cliff
superstorm
MOOC
big data

LEAST LIKELY TO SUCCEED
WINNER (TIE): YOLO and phablet, 91-92

Also nominated:
cray-cray
Gangnam style
Windows Metro
meggings

ELECTION WORDS
WINNER: Binders full of women, 107 votes

Also nominated: 
47 percent 
Etch-a-Sketch 
Eastwooding 
Romney/Obama
malarkey

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.