Collins Dictionary Identifies “Vegan” as a Rising Word of the Year

Language resource tool Collins Dictionary recognized the term “vegan” in its annual shortlist of notable words. The HarperCollins-owned dictionary—which defines “vegan” as “a person who refrains from using any animal product whatever for food, clothing, or any other purpose”—shortlists terms that it determines are increasing in usage over a 12-month period. The dictionary also identified “single-use” (most often coupled with terms such as “plastic” and “products”) as the most popular term of 2018, which has increased in usage four-fold since 2013. Other terms on the shortlist include popular dance move “floss,” derogatory British term “gammon,” and “plogging,” a recreational activity that combines jogging and picking up litter. The popularity of veganism worldwide was recently recognized by Merriam-Webster when it added “aquafaba” (the term used to describe a vegan egg replacer derived from bean and/or legume brine, typically chickpeas) to the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary.