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Merriam-Webster, an American publisher specializing in dictionaries, has selected "bailout" as its Word of the Year 2008.
The dictionary simply defines bailout as "A rescue from financial distress." However, the definition is not so simple for individuals and corporations suffering from the global financial crisis, as it is not easy to predict the consequences of each country's bailout plans and economy stimulus packages after America's US$700 billion bailout.
Merriam-Webster President John Morse said "bailout" was currently the most searched-upon word on its website, and that people wanted to know about the word's usage and whether it has negative connotations.
The rest of the list was not exactly cheerful. It also included terms like "trepidation," "precipice" and "turmoil" that describe states of psychological anxiety, said Merriam-Webster.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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