Collins Dictionary's word of the year is typically a sign of the times — previous winners include Gangnam Style' (2012), photobomb (2014) and binge-watch (2015). But in 2020 the dictionary's pick is decidedly bleaker: "Lockdown" - CNN reports.
Collins said it has registered over 250,000 usages of "lockdown" this year so far, compared to just 4,000 usages in 2019.
Collins selected the term from a longlist dominated by pandemic-related terms, including "coronavirus," "furlough" and "key worker."
According to Collins, the dominance of words linked to Covid-19 was "no surprise."
"Something that changed everyone’s lives so profoundly – leaving no country or continent untouched – was bound to have a significant impact on our language," a Collins spokesperson said.
"Our lexicographers chose ‘lockdown’ as Word of the Year because it is a unifying experience for billions of people across the world, who have had, collectively, to play their part in combating the spread of Covid-19."
On its website, Collins described lockdown as "the condition we’ve most dreaded in 2020 – a state of national stasis, where almost everything that constitutes normal public life is suspended."