Apparently, 2022's Word of the Year Was '-ussy,' Says the American Dialect Society
We've been seeing the "-ussification" of the world recently. It's become a phenomenon in many ways, and not just for Generation Z. Out of the shadows of the Twitter- and TikTok-verse, the suffix "-ussy" has now been recognized by some of the world's most distinguished linguists, lexicographers, etymologists, grammarians, historians, and scholars. The American Dialect Society (ADS) has even named it the Word of the Year for 2022.
At the January 6 voting session, ADS New Words Committee Chair Ben Zimmer argued: “The selection of the suffix '-ussy' highlights how creativity in new word formation has been embraced online in venues like TikTok. The playful suffix builds off the word 'pussy' to generate new slang terms. The process has been so productive lately on social media sites and elsewhere that it has been dubbed '-ussification.'”
The suffix "-ussy" is the 2022 American Dialect Society word of the year. Read the full press release. https://t.co/GpC9f3sWdK
— American Dialect Society (@americandialect) January 7, 2023ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
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This isn't the first time an affix has been named the Word of the Year by the organization. In 1998, the prefix "e-" was selected (by way of the internet revolution, like in e-mails and whatnot). The Word of the Year is interpreted as a "vocabulary item" in its broader sense. The committee chooses a certain word not just because it's brand new, but because of its prominence in society.
The affix '-ussy' is effectively used for portmanteaus. On social media, for instance, "bussy" refers to a "boy pussy," as ascribed by the LGBTQIA+ community (and yes, it's what you think it means). Meanwhile, something like a calzone can be referred to as a "pizzussy," as pointed out in a piece by writer Bethy Squires published on Vulture. Celebrities like Taron Egerton, Dylan O'Brien, and Lil Nas X, among others, have only brought it deeper into mainstream pop culture, too.
It's just interesting to see how language has evolved the past 133 years. That's "linguiussy" for you.
