GIF is the Oxford Dictionaries USA 2012 Word of the Year
From the OUPblog:
GIF verb to create a GIF file of (an image or video sequence, especially relating to an event): he GIFed the highlights of the debate
The GIF, a compressed file format for images that can be used to create simple, looping animations, turned 25 this year, but like so many other relics of the 80s, it has never been trendier. GIF celebrated a lexical milestone in 2012, gaining traction as a verb, not just a noun. The GIF has evolved from a medium for pop-cultural memes into a tool with serious applications including research and journalism, and its lexical identity is transforming to keep pace.
Other Words on the Oxford Dictionaries 2012 Shortlist
- Eurogeddon
- Higgs boson
- MOOC
- nomophobia
- Super PAC
- superstorm
- YOLO
Filed under: News
About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.
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