Every year The Oxford English Dictionary announces its Word of the Year. The word need not have been coined within the past twelve months but it does need to have become prominent or notable during that time. The chosen word is considered the most important word or expression during the specific year.
For the first time ever, their Word of the Year is not actually a word but a pictograph, commonly known as an emoji. The offical name of the winning emoji is "Face with Tears of Joy", the most globally used one of 2015.
Emoji is a loanword from Japanese defined as "a small digital image or icon used to express an idea or emotion in electronic communication".
By choosing an emoji, Oxford are acknowledging how popular these pictures have become in our daily online communications.
According to the Oxford Dictionaries blog post, "Emojis are no longer the preserve of texting teens — instead, they have been embraced as a nuanced form of expression, and one which can cross language barriers".
In 2015, Dominos Pizza launched a text message-based ordering system which registers a customer's order when they textmessage-based concierge service, which allows guests to correspond with hotel staff using emojis.
Previous Oxford Word of the Year winners include Vape (2014), selfie (2013) and omnishambles (2012).
Now choose the best definition of each bold word:
