(CNN)The nonbinary pronoun “they” has been named Merriam-Webster’s word of the year.
The American English dictionary revealed that searches for the term have risen by 313% in the last year.
The definition of “they” as a nonbinary pronoun was added to the three other separate definitions of the word in September.
Merriam-Webster said in a statement that the word of the year winner was determined by data.
Key moments cited by the dictionary publisher where searches spiked were January’s Paris Fashion Week featuring nonbinary model Oslo Grace, US congresswoman Pramila Jayapal’s April statement about her child being gender-nonconforming and June’s Pride celebrations.
In September, the British singer-songwriter Sam Smith, who recently came out as nonbinary, asked to be referred to as they/them.
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Article URL : https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2019/12/10/americas/merriam-webster-they-word-year-scli-intl/index.html