WOTY 2014 – To vape

What is WOTY you might ask. WOTY stands for “Word of the Year” and it is time for the Oxford Dictionary to look back on the year and decide which new words or phrases have become so popular that they deserve an award. 

From “selfie” to “chav”, these words reflect the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of that particular year and have lasting potential as a word of cultural significance.

Let’s have a look at the winners of the past six years: 

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WOTY 2014

So what’s this years word? It’s “vape”. 

Vape – Inhale and exhale the vapour produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device.

“Vape” is an abbreviation of vapour or vaporize. Since e-cigarrettes have become so popular this year, a verb was needed to explain what you did with them. We smoke with traditional cigarettes, but what to do with e-cigs? Well, we vape them. 

Runners up to the WOTY’s 2014

Although “vape” won first place, there are other words that almost made it. A runner-up is a person (or in this case, a word) that does not win first place in a competition but that does well enough to get a prize.

The runners-up we like the most are the following: 

BAE – this word stands for “Before Anyone Else” and is used as a term of endearment for one’s romantic partner, or someone you wish was. 

Normcore – a trend in which ordinary, unfashionable clothing is worn as a deliberate fashion statement.

Slacktivism – actions performed via the Internet in support of a political or social cause but regarded as requiring little time or involvement, e.g. signing an online petition or joining a campaign group on a social media website; a blend of slacker and activism.

Did you find this interesting? TWEET IT OUT: My BAE @OxfordWords just shared the #WOTY2014 winner: vape.