For the first time the Oxford Dictionary has named an emoji, or a pictograph, as the word of the year.
The emoji, officially known as the Face with Tears of Joy, was chosen as the 'word' that best represented the "mood and preoccupations of 2015".
"This year Oxford University Press have partnered with leading mobile technology business SwiftKey to explore frequency and usage statistics for some of the most popular emoji across the world, and [the emoji] was chosen because it was the most used emoji globally in 2015," the company said in a statement.
The Oxford Dictionary 2015 word of the year - the Face With Tears of Joy emoji. Source: SBS News
"Emojis are no longer the preserve of texting teens – instead, they have been embraced as a nuanced form of expression, and one which can cross language barriers."
The winning emoji beat out eight actual words to claim the 2015 title: sharing economy, they, on fleek, ad blocker, refugee, Brexit, Dark Web and lumbersexual.
ad blocker, noun: A piece of software designed to prevent advertisements from appearing on a web page.
Brexit, noun: A term for the potential or hypothetical departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union, from British + exit.
Dark Web, noun: The part of the World Wide Web that is only accessible by means of special software, allowing users and website operators to remain anonymous or untraceable.
lumbersexual, noun: A young urban man who cultivates an appearance and style of dress (typified by a beard and check shirt) suggestive of a rugged outdoor lifestyle.
refugee, noun: A person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.
sharing economy, noun: An economic system in which assets or services are shared between private individuals, either for free or for a fee, typically by means of the Internet.
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