Bella baby

December Top Twenty

Year's end saw mostly familiar words in the top positions this month, led by pragmatic, which was announced as Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year on December 15. This word got lots of attention as a consequence of that announcement, and zipped to the #1 spot. Ambivalence, our #2 word for the year, was also riding high, and finished third for the month.

Words in the News: pragmatic

Year's end brings discussion of various Words of the Year, including the announcement of the most looked-up word from the past year at Merriam-Webster.com: pragmatic. Last year's #2 word earned this year's top spot as people looked up pragmatic during last summer's debt negotiations in Congress and again in late autumn, during the failed mission of the Congressional "supercommittee." Both NPR and Politico filed stories explaining the politics behind the term; Merriam-Webster reported on the background of how pragmatic came to earn top spot. The word was among the most looked-up words on a day-to-day basis last year, but significant spikes of interest surrounding these news stories pushed it over the top.

Notable and Quotable: Carl Sandburg

bella a anna ab duos

mom sleeps

bell zip

bella and shemale

casus luciferi

bella 69

bella 1080p

The American poet, biographer, and editor Carl Sandburg was born January 6, 1878 (he died July 22, 1967). Sandburg was a three-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and left lexicographers a legacy of lively words well used: he is quoted at numerous places in the Unabridged.

You can find examples from a specific author by clicking on the Advanced Search link in either the Collegiate or the Unabridged and entering the surname in the Author box.

Happy Birthday 1660

Samuel Pepys (pronounced "peeps") – the public servant who brings mid-17th century England to life in his diaries – recorded his first diary entry on January 1, 1660. He wrote until failing eyesight forced him to put down his pen in May, 1669. His diaries (written in shorthand) remained unpublished until 1825. They present a fascinating picture of official and upper-class life in Restoration London, with vivid, honest accounts of ordinary as well as great events, including the Plague and the Great Fire of London.

At least a few of the 105 terms known to have entered print in 1660 are found in Pepys' diaries; take a look at a few other terms dating to 1660 which also paint a picture of those tumultuous times.

For a complete list of words dating to a particular year, select the Collegiate as a reference, click on Advanced Search, type the year in the Date box, and click on Search.

From the Mail Server

This month, editors go deep into etymology in order to explain cases of rhyming pairs of words in English and the close relationship between two related words that have developed parallel senses over the centuries – a parallel that may sometimes cause confusion.

Report from the Open Dictionary

Terms get coined and senses develop because they help us communicate; recent additions to the Open Dictionary include terms from politics, sports, foodie culture, and social media. Know of a new word (or word sense) you think merits a spot in the dictionary? Submit your suggestion.

humblebrag (noun) : a statement that conveys false humility : a brag couched in self-deprecation

bella banxx pigtails

www raag com

bella 01

bella 2010 08 19 wmv

bella 18 culo

bella anne nubiles

macaron (noun) : a meringue sandwich cookie made of ground almonds, superfine sugar, and egg whites with flavored ganache filling

bella anne teen

bella 2011

bella addormentata bosco

bella addormentata nel bosco avi

bella banxx i am

optics (noun) : appearance; esp.: the way that the public understands a public or political decision

bell x1 neither am i

bella all over 30

bella baby woodman casting

tebowing (noun) : kneeling on one knee in prayer in a public place or being photographed doing this

Word Profile

Although not looked up with enough frequency to become Word of the Year, both the word ambivalence (#2) and the French phrase après moi, le déluge (#10) were among the most looked-up terms of the past year. They have stories worth sharing.

Ambivalence – which may or may not express the undecided attitudes of 21st century Americans looking up the term – entered English from German (ambivalenz) in the early 20th century.

The popularity of après moi, le déluge traces to political analyst David Gergen's use of the phrase in a blog post at CNN.com entitled "Have they gone nuts in Washington?"

Language Links

The start of the New Year coincides with numerous bird counts in the United States and Canada. People interested in counting words (not birds) can do so in a number of ways – and in ways that have nothing to do with migratory patterns.

Most word processing programs offer writers a tool for counting words in a given piece of text, but what about counting the variety of words you use in your own writing? Check www.wordcounter.com to measure the variety of words you use in a given piece of writing. You can also assess the political ideology embedded in a document or article by analyzing word choice.

Looking for some analysis in your word count? Check the "text readability" of a piece of writing at www.standards-schmandards.com, which bills itself as "a pragmatic approach to web accessibility," and which allows you to apply a grade level (or readability level) to a given piece of writing.