Thursday, November 15, 2007

Oxford Word Of The Year: Locavore

The New Oxford American Dictionary has announced its 2007 Word of the Year.

That new addition is: locavore.

“Locavore” was coined two years ago by a group of four women in San Francisco who proposed that local residents should try to eat only food grown or produced within a 100-mile radius. Other regional movements have emerged since then, though some groups refer to themselves as “localvores” rather than “locavores.” However it’s spelled, it’s a word to watch.

Runners-up for the 2007 Word of the Year include:

aging in place: the process of growing older while living in one’s own residence, instead of having to move to a new home or community.

cloudware: online applications, such as webmail, powered by massive data storage facilities, also called “cloud servers”

cougar: an older woman who romantically pursues younger men

mumblecore: an independent film movement featuring low-budget production, non-professional actors, and largely improvised dialogue

previvor: a person who has not been diagnosed with a form of cancer but has survived a genetic predisposition for cancer

social graph: the network of one’s friends and connections on social websites such as Facebook and Myspace

upcycling: the transformation of waste materials into something more useful or valuable

as per Oxford University Press

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

What about people who don't enjoy the food choices within a 100-mile radius? Shouldn't they spell the word 'localvore'?

B.R. said...

I think they said that both spellings were acceptable.

Anonymous said...

it's def. awesome to support local economy. i like the word.