Vape is Oxford Dictionaries word of the year for 2014, the editors announced, saying that the public is 30 times more likely to come across the word than they would have two years ago. The word of the year in 2013 was selfie.
Vape, which is a verb which means to inhale and exhale the vapor produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device, beat out other words on Oxford's shortlist, including "bae," a term of endearment; "indyref," "contactless" and " slacktivism,"
according to the BBC News.
"As vaping has gone mainstream and with growing public debate on the public dangers and the need for regulation, the language usage of the word vape and related terms in 2014 has shown a marked increase," said Judy Pearsall, editorial director for Oxford Dictionaries.
Oxford said the earliest reference to the word could be found in 1983 in an article by Rob Stepney titled "Why Do People Smoke?" In the article, Stepney wrote: "an inhaler or non-combustible cigarette, looking much like the real thing, but...delivering a metered dose of nicotine vapor. The new habit, if it catches on, would be known as vaping."
According to The Guardian, many of the trending words are rooted in the Internet and social media, such as slacktivism, described by Oxford as "actions performed via the Internet in support of a political or co-social cause but regarded as requiring little time or involvement."
Oxford pointed to the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which went viral on YouTube, and the #bringbackourgirls campaign showing support for kidnapped girls in Nigeria as examples of slacktivism, noted The Guardian.
Indyref was born out of Scotland referendum vote for independence that happened in September where Scotland agreed to remain part of the United Kingdom.
Oxford wrote that the word bae "originated in African-American English and has been propelled into global usage through social media and lyrics in hip-hop and R&B music," according to The Guardian.
Related Stories:
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.