‘Vax’ Declared Word of the Year by Oxford English Dictionary

“When reviewing the language evidence, vax stood out as an obvious choice,” Casper Grathwohl, the president of Oxford Languages, told the Guardian “The word’s dramatic spike in usage caught our attention first.”

He added that, after “analysis,” they discovered that “a story started to emerge, revealing how vax sat at the center of our preoccupations this year.”

According to the Guardian, the linguistic group traced the evolution of the COVID-19 vaccine terminology, from the use of “vaccine distribution” in December 2020 to terms like “vaccine rollout” and “vaccine passport” becoming part of the global language.

They discovered that “vax” was being used more frequently, in a wider range of languages and circumstances, such as “completely vaxxed” and “vax cards.” Meanwhile, labels like “anti-vax” and “anti-vaxxers” have become more common as anti-vaccination beliefs have become more widespread in the wake of the outbreak.