2018, in a Word. But What Word?

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As the end of 2018 grows near, members and friends of the American Dialect Society once again prepare to choose its Word of the Year. The group will announce its choice at its annual meeting, in January. What word or phrase will best characterize 2018?

The practice began at the society’s 1990 meeting. Since then the leading dictionary companies in England (Oxford University Press) and America (Merriam-Webster, Random House) have made their own choices, and so have others. They a...