Rating its 10 most-searched-for words, the online dictionary shows that people are interested in more than just buzz-worthy semantics. December 3, 2013 4:49 PM PST Merriam-Webster's word of the year is science. (Credit: Screenshot by Dara Kerr/CNET) Not all faith in humanity is lost as dictionaries become crowded with words like selfie, srsly, and twerking. On Tuesday, Merriam-Webster came out with its top ten words for 2013, and this list wasn't bogged down in text-speak or Internet memes. Merriam-Webster's grand prize goes to: science. That's right, the top word for 2013 is the age-old term, "science," defined as "knowledge about or study of the natural world based on facts learned through experiments and observation." Merriam-Webster selected its top ten words of the year by looking at the most-searched-for words on its online dictionary, along with the words that show the biggest increase in look-ups compared with years past. The results were based on about 100 million queries per month. Related stories Smile for the dictionary: 'Selfie' is 2013 word of the year Phablet, selfie, emoji (and twerking) now in Oxford Dictionaries Microsoft gets a reboot as CEO retires Google Search beefs up its online dictionary Bing rolls out five apps for Office 365 and Office 2013 Science had a 176 percent increase in look-ups over last year and stayed a top term throughout the year. The online dictionary said this year's top words were terms often seen in the news. "A wide variety of discussions centered on science this year, from climate change to educational policy," Merriam-Webster Editor at Large Peter Sokolowski said in a statement. "We saw heated debates about 'phony' science, or whether science held all the answers. It's a topic that has great significance for us." The following nine top words were, from most popular to least: cognitive, rapport, communication, niche, ethic, paradox, visceral, integrity, and metaphor. This list goes to show that people are genuinely interested in more than just celebrity, scandal, and spelling shortcuts.
Rating its 10 most-searched-for words, the online dictionary shows that people are interested in more than just buzz-worthy semantics.
Merriam-Webster's word of the year is science.
(Credit: Screenshot by Dara Kerr/CNET)
Not all faith in humanity is lost as dictionaries become crowded with words like selfie, srsly, and twerking. On Tuesday, Merriam-Webster came out with its top ten words for 2013, and this list wasn't bogged down in text-speak or Internet memes.
Merriam-Webster's grand prize goes to: science.
That's right, the top word for 2013 is the age-old term, "science," defined as "knowledge about or study of the natural world based on facts learned through experiments and observation."
Merriam-Webster selected its top ten words of the year by looking at the most-searched-for words on its online dictionary, along with the words that show the biggest increase in look-ups compared with years past. The results were based on about 100 million queries per month.
Related stories
- Smile for the dictionary: 'Selfie' is 2013 word of the year
- Phablet, selfie, emoji (and twerking) now in Oxford Dictionaries
- Microsoft gets a reboot as CEO retires
- Google Search beefs up its online dictionary
- Bing rolls out five apps for Office 365 and Office 2013
Science had a 176 percent increase in look-ups over last year and stayed a top term throughout the year. The online dictionary said this year's top words were terms often seen in the news.
"A wide variety of discussions centered on science this year, from climate change to educational policy," Merriam-Webster Editor at Large Peter Sokolowski said in a statement. "We saw heated debates about 'phony' science, or whether science held all the answers. It's a topic that has great significance for us."
The following nine top words were, from most popular to least: cognitive, rapport, communication, niche, ethic, paradox, visceral, integrity, and metaphor.
This list goes to show that people are genuinely interested in more than just celebrity, scandal, and spelling shortcuts.
