A year in a word 2015

22/12/2015

By Isabel Berwick

The words that marked the year

Every year, a few words sum up the biggest stories of the past 12 months; mark the arrival of an internet trend or sociological phenomenon; or simply pop up out of nowhere and become linguistically embedded. In 2014, for example, the word peak scaled new heights when it started to be applied to everything from oil to cupcakes.

This year Financial Times correspondents and editors made hundreds of suggestions. Close runners up to our list were Schengen, blockchain and mansplaining. Our final choices are below. And there’s not an emoji in sight.

Do share your thoughts and suggest your own words of the year in the comments.

Read the FT’s series from the past years at FT.com/words2014, FT.com/words2013 and FT.com/words2012.

● Refugee Noun — A person seeking refuge in a foreign country to escape from the threat of war or persecution; often accused of being an economic migrant

● Defeat device Noun — any gadget or piece of software used to switch off environmental controls and allow pollution to pump into the air

● Unicorn Noun — 1. A mythical animal typically represented as a horse with a single straight horn; 2. (hist) A carriage drawn by three horses, two abreast and one leader. “She drove in her unicorn to Oakly-park” (Belinda by Maria Edgeworth, 1801); 3. A private technology company valued at more than $1bn

● Oxi Noun — “No” in Greek. In July’s referendum on the EU’s rescue offer, Greek voters overwhelmingly picked “oxi” over “nai” (yes) by a 61-39 margin.

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