Sad sign of the times: 'lockdown' is top word
A worker cleans a skeletal of an elephant on display at a Government museum reopened on Tuesday after the government eased the lockdown restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Collins Dictionary said on Tuesday “lockdown” is its Word of The Year in 2020 following a dramatic increase in usage during the spread of COVID-19.
Lexicographers said they picked the word because it had become synonymous with the experience of populations across the world as governments look to curb the coronavirus pandemic.
“It is a unifying experience for billions of people across the world, who have had collectively to play their part in combating the spread of COVID-19,” publishers Harper Collins said.
Collins registered more than a quarter of a million usages of “lockdown” during 2020, against only 4,000 the previous year.
Because of the way the pandemic has affected the daily use of language, six of Collins’ 10 words of the year in 2020 are related to the global health crisis.
“Coronavirus,” “social distancing,” “self-isolate” and “furlough” as well as “lockdown” and “key worker” were included in the longer list of 10 words of the year.
“2020 has been dominated by the global pandemic,” said Helen Newstead, consultant at Collins. “Lockdown has affected the way we work, study, shop, and socialize.
“With many countries entering a second lockdown, it is not a word of the year to celebrate but it is, perhaps, one that sums up the year for most of the world.”
And Black Lives Matter
A wave of Black Lives Matter protests, sparked by the death in US police custody of unarmed black man George Floyd, spread around the world and brought a new awareness of the movement.
The abbreviation “BLM,” often used as a hashtag on social media, was widely used in conversations and reporting following the protests, registering an increase in usage of 581 percent by Collins.
Social media regularly throws up new words for the dictionary.
This year, Collins has included “TikToker,” which describes someone who shares content on the TikTok social media platform.
“Mukbang,” which refers to a South Korean trend of video bloggers eating large quantities of food in videos broadcast to their followers, has also made the list.
