What does Brexit mean, anyway? Brexit, apparently…
Brexit means Brexit. At least, that's what Theresa May wants you to think.
Ever since the UK voted to leave the European Union in June, MPs have been begging the government to let them know what sort of Brexit deal they will fight for in the upcoming negotiations.
"What does Brexit mean?" they cried.
Now, Collins has weighed in to the debate, declaring "Brexit" to be the word of the year after dominating politics for months.
However, the definition is pretty boring, and quite prime ministerial…
Brexit is defined by the dictionary as "the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union". Dull…
The word was first noted by Collins in 2013, but has only gained popularity this year in the run up to the referendum. A 3,400 per cent increase in the use of the word was recorded this year.
Helen Newstead, head of language content at Collins, said: "Brexit is arguably politics' most important contribution to the English language in over 40 years, since the Watergate scandal gave commentators and comedians the suffix '-gate' to make any incident or scandal infinitely more compelling. 'Brexit' is proving even more useful and adaptable."
The word Brexit has brought with it a variety of other hybrid words, including "bremorse", to express remorse over Brexit, and "bremoan", referring to people moaning about Brexit.
Other words that Brexit triumphed over this year include "Trumpism" and "hygge".
The top 10 are below:
1. Brexit – the withdrawal of the UK from the EU
2. Dude food – junk food like burgers, said to be appealing to men
3. Hygge – a concept of creating cosy and convivial atmospheres that promote wellbeing
4. JOMO – the joy of missing out – pleasure gained from enjoying one's own activities, not worrying what others are up to
5. Mic drop – a gesture where a person imitates dropping a microphone to signal the end of a speech or joke
6. Sharenting – the habitual use of social media to share news about one's children
7. Snowflake generation – young adults, seen as being more sensitive and prone to taking offence than previous generations
8. Throw shade – to make a public show of contempt for something, usually with a non-verbal expression
9. Trumpism – the policies of Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump.
10. Uberization – the adoption of a business model where services are offered on demand through mobile, like the taxi app Uber.