Couples gather on steps in La Defense Business District on the outskirts of Paris on November 6, 2020, during a lockdown imposed by authorities in an attempt to halt the spread of the new coronavirus. (AFP)
LONDON鈥揅ollins Dictionary said on Tuesday that 鈥渓ockdown鈥� is its Word of The Year in 2020 following a dramatic increase in usage during the spread of Covid-19.
Lexicographers said they picked the word because it had become synonymous with the experience of populations across the world as governments look to curb the coronavirus pandemic.
鈥淚t 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,鈥� publishers Harper Collins said.
Collins registered more than a quarter of a million usages of 鈥渓ockdown鈥� during 2020, against only 4,000 the previous year.
Because of the way the pandemic has affected the daily use of language, six of Collins鈥� 10 words of the year in 2020 are related to the global health crisis.
鈥淐oronavirus鈥�, 鈥渟ocial distancing鈥�, 鈥渟elf-isolate鈥� and 鈥渇urlough鈥� as well as 鈥渓ockdown鈥� and 鈥渒ey worker鈥� were included in the longer list of 10 words of the year.
鈥淜ey worker鈥� alone has seen a 60-fold increase in usage reflecting the importance attributed this year to professions considered to be essential to society.
鈥�2020 has been dominated by the global pandemic,鈥� Helen 黑料社tead, a language consultant at Collins, said.
鈥淟ockdown has affected the way we work, study, shop, and socialise.
鈥淲ith many countries entering a second lockdown, it is not a word of the year to celebrate but it is, perhaps, one that sums up the year for most of the world.鈥�
Collins defines 鈥渓ockdown鈥� as 鈥渢he imposition of stringent restrictions on travel, social interaction, and access to public spaces鈥�.
According to the dictionary, coronavirus is: 鈥淎ny one of a group of RNA-containing viruses that can cause infectious illnesses of the respiratory tract, including COVID-19.鈥�
Significant social and political developments beyond the virus have also been reflected in the list, which has already made its way into online editions of the English dictionary.
A wave of Black Lives Matter protests, sparked by the death in US police custody of unarmed black man George Floyd, spread around the world and brought a new awareness of the movement.
The abbreviation 鈥淏LM鈥�, often used as a hashtag on social media, was widely used in conversations and reporting following the protests, registering an increase in usage of 581 percent by Collins.
Social media regularly throws up new words for the dictionary.
This year, Collins has included 鈥淭ikToker鈥�, which describes someone who shares content on the TikTok social media platform.
鈥淢ukbang鈥�, which refers to a South Korean trend of video bloggers eating large quantities of food in videos broadcast to their followers, has also made the list.
The UK royal family influenced the shortlist in 2020.
鈥淢egxit鈥�, which refers to the withdrawal of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan from royal duties, passed into regular usage.
The word, modelled on 鈥淏rexit鈥�, which was Collins鈥� word of the year in 2016, illustrates just how firmly established that word now is in the British lexicon.