Collins Dictionary has crowned its latest word of the year, and for 2021, the term that received the credit was NFT (non-fungible token). According to Collins, NFT officially stands for a "unique digital certificate, registered in a blockchain, that is used to record ownership of an asset such as an artwork or a collectible", and is a word that has seen an 11,000% increase in use over the course of 2021 as the BBC reports.
As part of the announcement of this news, Collins also revealed the terms that were front-runners for the acclaimed award, with double-vaxxed, hybrid working, pingdemic, climate anxiety, neopronoun, regencycore, and cheugy making the short-list. Interestingly, a lot of the words serve as very brief summary of 2021 in the news.
On top of the shortlist and word of the year winner, Collins also revealed a few new words that are now recognised as proper English, with the most eye-catching being metaverse and crypto. Two terms you've probably heard a whole lot of over the past 11 months.
Are there any words that you think should've made the cut?