2007 Words of the Year: W00t, Locavore, and More

Merriam-Webster Inc. announced the word of the year for 2007 is 'w00t', which is usually spelled with two zeroes instead of using the letter "o" The word "w00t" is a celebratory exclamation such as "yay" or "yippee." Words chosen by Merriam-Webster are based upon online searches at its Web site. Previous years' selections for word of the year have been: "truthiness" (noun) in 2006, and "integrity" in 2005.

Merriam-Webster is not the only company or organization that selects a 'word of the year'. Each January, the American Dialect Society selects a word or phrase based upon its notability during the year. Words are nominated, and members of the society then vote for the word or phrase they feel was the most prominent. In 2006, the term 'plutoed' was selected due to the news about Pluto's status being downgraded from a planet.

The American Dialect Society clarifies the guidelines for word (or phrase) of the year nominations, "The word-of-the-year vote is not a formal induction of words into the American language, but a whimsical affair. Nominate accordingly." A few of the nominations for the 2007 award are 'celebutard' (dumb female celebrity), 'don't tase me, bro' (reference to the Andrew Meyer tasing incident of 2007), 'Feliz Kwanhanamas' (Feliz Navidad + Happy Kwanza + Happy Hannukah + Merry Christmas), 'ftw' (for the win), 'gorno' (really gory horror movie), 'toe-tapper' (homosexual), and 'truther' (9/11 conspiracy theorist).

New Oxford Dictionary also selects a word of the year. For 2007 the winner is the word 'locavore' which is the name for a person who only eats locally produced and grown foods. An alternate spelling is 'localvore'. The 2006 winner was 'carbon neutral' and in 2005 the word was 'podcast'. New Oxford Dictionary's editors nominate their choice for word for the year, and the Editor-in-Chief then makes the final decision.