Cambridge Dictionary has revealed its word of the year is "quarantine".

 

《剑桥词典》日前发布消息称，其评选出的2020年度词汇是“隔离”。

 

The dictionary's editors said that it was the third most searched-for word of the year, but comes in at number one once you discount words that recur¹ almost every year, such as "hello" and "dictionary".

 

According to the dictionary, "quarantine" was searched for the most in between 18 and 24 March, when restrictions² began to be imposed due to the pandemic.

 

Cambridge Dictionary has said that the word acquired new meaning during lockdown and has therefore been given an added definition.

 

"A general period of time in which people are not allowed to leave their homes or travel freely, so that they do not catch or spread a disease," it reads.

 

Alongside "quarantine", other coronavirus-related words, including "pandemic" and "lockdown", ranked highly on Cambridge Dictionary's most popular list for 2020.

 

There were also several new words added to the dictionary, including "HyFlex", which is short for hybrid³ flexible, a term used to describe a style of teaching that sees some students participating in a class virtually while others are also there physically⁴.

 

"Elbow bump" was also added as a way of referring to a friendly greeting that allows people to maintain social distancing.

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