MANILA, Philippines — "Fake news," Collins dictionary's 2017 word of the year, has been a favorite defense of US President Donald Trump against critics and the subject of a Senate hearing in the Philippines.
The word rose to prominence this year with an unprecedented usage increase of 365 percent since 2016.
Collins defines "fake news" as "false, often sensational, information disseminated under the guise of news reporting."
We take a look at the #etymology behind our #CollinsWOTY top 5 shortlisted words https://t.co/saeub9LVdV #fakenews #WordOfTheYear pic.twitter.com/kINWs4Lswq
— Collins Dictionary (@CollinsDict) November 2, 2017
The dictionary traced that the association of the word "fake" with "news" originated from the field of comedy "as exemplified by shows such as Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show and Chris Morris’s The Day Today."
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By 2005, however, the term began to be applied to false news stories that have malicious intent instead of satire.
"Then in January 2017 Donald Trump dismissed reports from the CNN news agency about his alleged links with Russia as 'fake news.' Claims that potentially damaging stories were 'fake news,' and enquiries into the proliferation of such stories were a major part of the news agenda in 2017," Collins said.
Collins identified this year's shortlist by monitoring word output across all forms of media and by consulting their 4.5 billion word database. It checked for the words that have grown in visibility the most over the past year, reflected social and cultural developments and gained traction.
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Other words that made it to Collins' shortlist were:
Antifa
noun: (1) an antifascist organization (2) a member of an antifascist organization adjective: (3) involving, belonging to, or relating to an antifascist organization
Corbynmania
noun: fervent enthusiasm for Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the UK Labour Party
Cuffing season
noun: the period of autumn and winter, when single people are considered likely to seek settled relationships rather than engage in casual affairs
Echo chamber
noun: an environment, especially on a social media site, in which any statement of opinion is likely to be greeted with approval because it will only be read or heard by people who hold similar views
Fidget spinner
noun: a small toy comprising two or three prongs arranged around a central bearing, designed to be spun by the fingers as means of improving concentration or relieving stress
Gender-fluid
adjective: not identifying exclusively with one gender rather than another
Gig economy
noun: an economy in which there are few permanent employees and most jobs are assigned to temporary or freelance workers
Insta
adjective: of or relating to the photo-sharing application Instagram
Unicorn
noun: (1) an imaginary creature depicted as a white horse with one long spiraled horn growing from its forehead, regarded as a symbol of innocence and purity (2) a recently launched business enterprise that is valued at more than one billion dollars
— Mikas Matsuzawa