W00t

The runners-up to Merriam-Webster's 2009 Word of the Year (admonish), with definitions from the publisher's collegiate dictionary and, when applicable, the news event or story that generated the interest in the word: _ Emaciated (adj.): To cause to lose flesh so as to become very thin. Michael Jackson was described in some news reports as emaciated at the time of his death. _ Empathy (noun): The action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit ... Read Full Story

Merriam-Webster's annual Words of the Year dating to 2003, when the publisher started making the selection: 2009: Admonish — "to express warning or disapproval to especially in a gentle, earnest, or solicitous manner." Extensively looked up after Rep. Joseph Wilson, R-South Carolina, was admonished for shouting "you lie" at President Barack Obama during a speech to Congress. 2008: Bailout — "A rescue from financial distress." Selected by huge volume of lookups as Congress was considering $700 million bailout package for financial industry. 2007: W00t — "Expression of joy or triumph, or an obvious victory; abbreviation of 'We Owned the Other Team,' originating from computer-gaming ... Read Full Story

More than 100 new words, from acai to zip line via carbon footprint and waterboarding, have entered the mainstream in the United States after being added to the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary. As every year, the new words paint a sociological picture of trends and events that are influencing Americans. Health and medicine, technology, and words related to food and eating are well represented. The three rubrics have been the richest picking grounds for new words in the last decade. This year, health-nuts could claim that becoming a "locavore" -- someone who eats locally grown foods -- has helped them kick the need for "naproxen" ... Read Full Story

Merriam-Webster Inc. has added more than 100 entries to the latest edition of its Collegiate Dictionary. Here are some, along with the year in which Merriam-Webster researchers first found them used in an English-language publication, and their meanings: Acai (1868): a small dark purple fleshy berrylike fruit of a tall slender palm (Euterpe oleracea) of tropical Central and South America that is often used in beverages. Carbon footprint (1999): the negative impact that something (as a person or business) has on the environment; specifically: the amount of carbon emitted by something during a given period. Cardioprotective (1984): serving to protect the heart. Earmark (15c): ... Read Full Story

Leading technology developers for mobile devices, Paragon Software Group, has launched the world-famous Merriam-Webster’s Dictionaries application for iPhone and iPod Touch. The application consists of one explanatory and two bilingual – Spanish-English and French-English dictionaries. The database contains over 476,00 entries with more than 143,000 etymologies detailing word origins, 100,000 quotations and 1,100 synonymy paragraphs. You can access the dictionary anywhere without an Internet connection. The Merriam-Webster’s French-English Dictionary provides the most extensive coverage of Canadian French words and phrases. The Merriam-Webster’s Spanish English Dictionary covers Latin American and European Spanish, and contains over 80,000 entries and 100,000 translations. The application uses a SlovoEd ... Read Full Story