Merriam-Webster Announces Word of the Year: w00t!

“w00t” – the joy-filled expression popularized by online gamers – was named Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year for 2007 based on votes from web site visitors.

If the term is unfamiliar, here’s the definition:
w00t (interjection): expressing joy (it could be after a triumph, or for no reason at all); similar in use to the word “yay” (w00t! I won the contest!)

Note that the expression is typically spelled with two zeros. The Merriam-Webster president said it reflects the text-messaging-influenced trend of using numeric characters to type words.

The term is so new that it hasn’t been added to the regular Merriam-Webster dictionary (although it is in the open dictionary of entries submitted by individuals).

Other words in Merriam-Webster’s top 10:

• Facebook (in verb form: Did you facebook today?)
• Conundrum (a difficult problem)
• Quixotic (a “foolishly impractical… pursuit of ideals”)
• Blamestorm (a group effort to identify a scapegoat)
• Sardoodledom (a contrived plot or characterization)
• Apathetic (little feeling or emotion)
• Pecksniffian (hypocritical)
• Hypocrite (acting in contradiction to stated beliefs or feelings)
• Charlatan (a fraud or faker)