It feels like only the beginning of December, but we already have a designated word of the year. And it’s a good one!
This article from NewsFactor Magazine states that the New Oxford American Dictionary has designated “podcast” as the 2005 Word of the Year.“Podcast was considered for inclusion last year, but we found that not enough people were using it, or were even familiar with the concept,” said Erin McKean, editor in chief of the New Oxford American Dictionary. “This year it’s a completely different story. The word has finally caught up with the rest of the iPod phenomenon.”
I own an iPod but I listen to podcasts on a computer more than on the iPod. My original word for a podcast was audioblog but I hadn’t heard of the term blogcast until I read this article. The most recent podcast I’ve listened to is Tom Bishop’s The Next Cool Thing. Hearing him talk about the technology of coffee makers was really interesting. Soon after I listened to his podcast, I read the National Geographic article, The World in a Glass: Six Drinks that Changed History which was also fascinating (if even loosely related).
My other favorite word-of-the-year contender is “lifehack,” a more efficient or effective way of completing an everyday task. See lifehack.org or 43folders.com’s lifehack category for ways to hack your life. Maybe lifehack will be the word of the year for 2006.
Any favorite words for 2005? Or in general? Do tell.