Palin's 'Refudiate' Is Oxford Dictionary's Word of 2010

Tea party leader's neologism formally enters lexicon
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 15, 2010 3:44 PM CST
Palin's 'Refudiate' Is Oxford Dictionary's Word of 2010
In this Oct. 23, 2010 file photo, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin speaks to supporters at a Republican National Committee rally in Orlando, Fla.   (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

Sarah Palin might have been ridiculed for urging Muslims to "refudiate" the so-called Ground Zero Mosque in a mangled tweet this year, but the Oxford American Dictionary thinks she's on to something: “'refudiate' more or less stands on its own, suggesting a general sense of “'reject,'" writes the Oxford University Press, which has made "refudiate" its 2010 word of the year. The OUP has essentially legitimized Palin's defense that she, like William Shakespeare, coins new words to express herself.

It beat out 10 other contenders. Among them:

  • gleek
  • retweet
  • Tea Party
  • top kill
  • vuvuzela
It's the battle of the words! The Global Language Monitor chose a different winner for "word of the year." Click here to find out what it is.
(More refudiate stories.)

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