Ever since I was a young lad working at the library, I\u2019ve been aware of the American Dialect Society (http:\/\/www.americandialect.org\/). The most interesting thing about the ADS is that each year, it\u2019s members vote on what they call the \u201cWord of the Year\u201d. It might be a new word that was coined by a politician or singer, it might be a word that adopted a new meaning, or it might be an old word that suddenly resurged in popularity. Sometimes the \u2018word\u2019 of the year is actually two words that, when put together, have a new meaning.<\/p>\n
I love this idea. The words they select for each year are quite a reflection of the times. For example, in 1992, they selected \u201cNot\u201d, the over-used put-down popularized by the Saturday Night Live sketch \u201cWayne\u2019s World\u201d. In 2000, they selected \u201cChad\u201d \u2013 a word so defunct that Oxford was considering dropping it from the next edition of their dictionary, until the voting fiasco in Florida gave the word new life. <\/p>\n
So, in 1999, I began selecting my own personal \u201cWord of the Year\u201d. Like the ADS, my choice can be a word I never heard before, or one that suddenly surged in popularity for me personally (for whatever reason). Since 2007 is all but over, I\u2019ve once again added to my list. Here it is, with brief explanations\u2026<\/p>\n
1999 \u2013 Filmlet
I was tired of calling my short films \u201cZimmerscope Productions\u201d, so I flipped through the dictionary looking for a new film-related word. I found \u201cfilmlet\u201d, which is a term used to describe any motion picture under 60 minutes long. I loved how underused it is \u2013 I swear I\u2019ve never heard anyone else use this word besides me.<\/p>\n
2000 \u2013 Viscosity
I\u2019m sure I\u2019d heard this word before, and I\u2019d definitely heard its root word, viscous. But until I took a class on laboratory technology, I never appreciated this word for all it was worth. I loved performing viscosity tests \u2013 both in college and at my previous job. I throw this word around whenever I can. [runner-up: Flyboat]<\/p>\n
2001 \u2013 Denouement
Another word I learned in college. Despite reading dozens of books about motion pictures, I never knew what to call that last part of the film, you know \u2013 the part after the climax. I used to just call it \u201cthe ending\u201d. But then I was taught this word, which practically screams \u2018pretentious!\u2019, and all was right with the world.<\/p>\n
2002 \u2013 GMP
Okay, so it\u2019s not a word. But by ADS guidelines, I can still use it. It\u2019s an abbreviation for Good Manufacturing Procedures, which is a nice way of saying the FDA forces food and drug manufacturers to be anal to the point of neurosis. I hate the yearly GMP classes I have to attend, and I hate laboring under its rules. Nevertheless, it\u2019s been a big player in my vocabulary from 2002 onwards.<\/p>\n
2003 \u2013 Environmental Monitoring
Worried about a possible lay-off at my job, I offered my services in the microbiology lab, hoping to make myself twice as useful. It worked, and I never did get laid-off. For several days out of each month in 2003 (and into 2004), I ventured with the microbiologists as we went out environmental monitoring.<\/p>\n
2004 \u2013 Big Lake
Despite the fact that I never lived more than 2 hours from Big Lake, I\u2019d never heard of it until our realtor began showing us property there. By mid-summer, I was living there. [runner-up: Doula]<\/p>\n
2005 \u2013 Cephalohematoma
Nothing says smarmy health care professional like knowing the technical name for a lump on a newborn\u2019s head. When I told people my son was born with cephalohematoma, most of them immediately adopted an air of sympathy, as if I\u2019d just given them the gravest news ever.<\/p>\n
2006 \u2013 Cognitive Dissonance
Thanks to the Watchtower Society\u2019s inability to answer questions, provide supporting documentation and misquote, I knew the old farts in Brooklyn were throwing up a smokescreen for years. But it was in this year that my wife helped me appreciate what a Watchtower apologist I\u2019d become. She explained it using this term. [runner-up: Love Bombing]<\/p>\n
2007 \u2013 Apraxia
Another medically related term, only this time, it sounds like a planet the Star Ship Voyager would land on. It sums up my son\u2019s speech delay (and other quirks) so nicely, my wife and I began wondering if other people we knew also had un-diagnosed apraxia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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