The Filipinas Institute of Translation (FIT) has spoken. The word of 2020 is “Pandemya.”
“Pandemya” bested other nominees. “Social distancing” is second. And “contact tracing” is third. Other words considered: “ayuda,” “blended learning,” “quarantine,” “testing,” “virus,” “webinar,” “2020.” It will be recalled that “ayuda” is Highspeed’s word of the year.
The Merriam-Webster word of the year is also “Pandemya”… or more accurately its English translation: “Pandemic.”
More popular words and phrases in 2020.
Face mask and face shield. Distance learning and modules Lockdown and shutdown. Zoom and work from home. Baking and ube pan de sal.
Corona virus and new normal. Plantito/plantita Frontliner and swab test. Dolomite and Baywalk. Mental health and flatten the curve. Upside and downside. Resurgent and vaccine.
More about “Pandemic”
“Pandemic,” with roots in Latin and Greek, is a combination of “pan,” for all, and “demos,” for people or population. The word “Pandemic” dates back to the mid 1600s, used broadly for “universal” and more specifically to disease in medical text in the 1600s.
