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| What is Collins Dictionary's 2019 word of the year? | What is Collins Dictionary's 2019 word of the year? |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A phrase which hit headlines after millions of people joined climate change protests around the world has been named 2019's word of the year. | A phrase which hit headlines after millions of people joined climate change protests around the world has been named 2019's word of the year. |
| "Climate strike" was picked by Collins Dictionary after being used on average 100 times more this year than in 2018. | "Climate strike" was picked by Collins Dictionary after being used on average 100 times more this year than in 2018. |
| The term was first recorded four years ago when pupils skipped school to protest over global warming - but the movement has grown over the last year. | The term was first recorded four years ago when pupils skipped school to protest over global warming - but the movement has grown over the last year. |
| Collins said it has also recognised the word "non-binary" as a specific term. | Collins said it has also recognised the word "non-binary" as a specific term. |
| Lexicographers said it added non-binary in recognition of "changes in how people relate to each other and define themselves". | Lexicographers said it added non-binary in recognition of "changes in how people relate to each other and define themselves". |
| Non-binary people do not identify as either male or female and often prefer the pronouns they or them instead of he or she. | Non-binary people do not identify as either male or female and often prefer the pronouns they or them instead of he or she. |
| It comes after pop star Sam Smith said this year that they identified as non-binary, joining other celebrities including Me Too campaigner Rose McGowan and Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness. | |
| Also added by Collins are the terms "double down", "influencer", "hopepunk" (a TV genre) and "deepfake ("a digital imaging technique"). | Also added by Collins are the terms "double down", "influencer", "hopepunk" (a TV genre) and "deepfake ("a digital imaging technique"). |
| Climate strike | Climate strike |
| The 2019 word of the year - which will get its own entry in the next edition of the dictionary - is defined by Collins as "a form of protest in which people absent themselves from education or work in order to join demonstrations demanding action to counter climate change". | The 2019 word of the year - which will get its own entry in the next edition of the dictionary - is defined by Collins as "a form of protest in which people absent themselves from education or work in order to join demonstrations demanding action to counter climate change". |
| It is the second year in a row that an environmental term has been picked as word of the year, after "single-use" in 2018. | It is the second year in a row that an environmental term has been picked as word of the year, after "single-use" in 2018. |
| The term climate strike was first registered in November 2015 during the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris when the first event of its kind took place. | The term climate strike was first registered in November 2015 during the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris when the first event of its kind took place. |
| But the movement was reignited thanks to Swedish teenage activist Greta Thunberg. | But the movement was reignited thanks to Swedish teenage activist Greta Thunberg. |
| On 20 August 2018, Thunberg sat outside Sweden's parliament carrying a "school strike for climate change" sign and saying she was refusing to attend classes until Swedish politicians took action. | On 20 August 2018, Thunberg sat outside Sweden's parliament carrying a "school strike for climate change" sign and saying she was refusing to attend classes until Swedish politicians took action. |
| The movement snowballed with students around the world missing school to demand action on global warming, and in September millions of people took part in a global climate strike. | The movement snowballed with students around the world missing school to demand action on global warming, and in September millions of people took part in a global climate strike. |
| BBC News first appeared to use the term on its website in February 2019, and used it again the following day when covering the wave of protests in the UK. | BBC News first appeared to use the term on its website in February 2019, and used it again the following day when covering the wave of protests in the UK. |
| Previous Collins words of the year | Previous Collins words of the year |
| 2018: Single-use | 2018: Single-use |
| 2017: Fake news | 2017: Fake news |
| 2016: Brexit | 2016: Brexit |
| 2015: Binge-watch | 2015: Binge-watch |
| 2014: Photobomb | 2014: Photobomb |
| 2013: Geek | 2013: Geek |
| The Oxford English Dictionary also choose their own word of the year, opting for "toxic" in 2018, "youthquake" in 2017 and "post-truth" in 2016. | The Oxford English Dictionary also choose their own word of the year, opting for "toxic" in 2018, "youthquake" in 2017 and "post-truth" in 2016. |