It's that time of the year when Oxford Dictionaries declares a Word of the Year, and this time, the venerable dictionary is turning the camera inward.
The winner for 2013 is "selfie," defined as "a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website." Oxford University Press notes that its U.S. and U.K. editions declared the winner jointly, whereas in some years they each choose their own words.
Image: davitydave/Flickr/Creative CommonsThe selfie stuff of nightmares.
"Selfie" beat out seven other shortlisted words—three of which are also tech-related—including the digital currency "bitcoin;" the Netflix habit known as "binge-watch;" the practice of "showrooming" in a store before buying online; a small furry mammal called "olinguito;" a U.K. housing penalty called "bedroom tax;" the provocative dance known as "twerk;" and a term for synthetic meat, or "schmeat."
Oxford traces the origins of the word "selfie" to a 2002 forum post, in which the poster apologizes for a blurry drunken photo, explaining that "it was a selfie."
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