"Hashtag" Is Named Word of the Year for 2012

Thanks Twitter.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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The votes are in, and the American Dialect Society has chosen "Hashtag" as its Word of the Year for 2012. Ben Zimmer, chair of the New Words Committee for ADS, noted the word was a "ubiquitous phenomenon in online talk," and given Twitter's growing reach the announcement comes as no surprise. Other 2012 Word of the Year nominees included "Yolo," "Gangnam Style," and "Fiscal Cliff."

But, as Dieter Bohn of The Verge, reports: 

The ADS promotes its word of the year over others by dint of its academic members and lack of commercial interests. In years past, "Occupy," "App," and "Plutoed" have all taken the honor—so there's no promise that "Hashtag" will have real staying power.

For more, check out our 15 most memorable #hashtags from 2012.

[via The Verge]

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