Merriam-Webster’s 2020 Word Of The Year Is Its Most Predictable One Yet
Image via Shutterstock
The Merriam-Webster dictionary has announced “pandemic” as its 2020 word of the year.
The word embedded itself into the everyday vocabulary of the general public ever since the US announced its first case of COVID-19 in January.
Searches for the word skyrocketed in March when the novel coronavirus outbreak was declared as a global pandemic. Queries for the word on 11 March had risen 115,806-percent higher than on the same day in 2019.
“Pandemic is the word that has connected the worldwide medical emergency with the political response and with our personal experience of it all,” said Peter Sokolowski, editor-at-large for Merriam-Webster. “Words that might be part of our general vocabulary send us to the dictionary when they suddenly seem technical, medical, or legal. The word pandemic, though familiar, came into the news this year with an urgent specificity.”
The coronavirus pandemic has impacted various businesses globally, from the food industry to the fashion and creative spheres. Many have diverted their business models to adapt to the changing market while installing safe distance measures to ensure their products or services remain reachable to customers.
This includes KFC China, which recently unveiled its self-automated vehicles to allow its customers to purchase its finger-licking good chicken without any human interaction.
Adobe too unveiled its latest campaign targeting small businesses to show how going digital can help them move forward. This Christmas, many brands have also released heartwarming ads on how people might tackle the pandemic during the year.
To see more works of brands during the COVID-19 period, click here.
[via Globe Newswire, cover image via Shutterstock]
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