"Vaccine" is Merriam-Webster's Word of The Year.
CBS News reports Merriam-Webster has named "vaccine" as it's 2021 word of the year.
This was a word that was extremely high in our data every single day in 2021.
, Peter Sokolowski, editor Merriam-Webster, via 'CBS News'.
According to CBS News, at Merriam-Webster, searches for "vaccine" increased by 601% from 2020.
It really represents two different stories.
One is the science story, which is this remarkable speed with which the vaccines were developed.
But there's also the debates regarding policy, politics and political affiliation... It's one word that carries these two huge stories.
Peter Sokolowski, editor Merriam-Webster, via 'CBS News'.
The origins of the word "vaccine" come from the New Latin word "vaccina," derived from Latin's "vaccinus," which means "of or from a cow.".
Merriam-Webster compiles search data year over year in making its selection.
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The dictionary company has been naming a word of the year since 2008.
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Runner up for Merriam-Webster's word of the year is "insurrection.".
This words popularity was propelled in great part to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
As convictions against those involved continue, lookups for the word were up 61,000% from 2020
