17 November,2009 08:35 AM IST | | Agencies
It means deleting someone as a friend on Facebook, Orkut, etc
The New Oxford American Dictionary has named 'unfriend' as in deleting someone as a friend on a social network such as Facebook and Orkut its word of the year.
Oxford University Press USA, in a blog post, said 'unfriend', a verb, had beaten netbook, sexting, paywall, birther and death panel for the honour.
'Unfriend has real lex-appeal,' said Christine Lindberg, senior lexicographer for Oxford's US dictionary programme.
"It has both currency and potential longevity," she said.
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"In the online social networking context, its meaning is understood, so its adoption as a modern verb form makes this an interesting choice for word of the year."
Twitter also provided some new favourites including hashtag a hash sign added to a word or phrase that enables Twitter users to search for tweets.
Other finalists:
Intexticated: Distracted because texting on a cellphone while driving a vehicle
Sexting: The sending of sexually explicit texts and pictures by cellphone
Funemployed: Taking advantage of one's newly unemployed status to have fun or pursue other interests
Deleb: a dead celebrity
Tramp stamp: A tattoo on a woman's lower back
Zombie bank: A bank whose liabilities are greater than its assets, but which continues to operate because of government support
