Oxford University Press' word of the year: "brain rot"

Context: Oxford defines brain rot as the "supposed deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as a result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging."

• It can also be "something characterized as likely to lead to such deterioration."
• Its usage increased by 230% between 2023 and 2024, according to the publisher.

Fun fact: The first use of "brain rot" was found in 1854 in Henry David Thoreau's book "Walden," according to Oxford.

• "While England endeavours to cure the potato rot, will not any endeavour to cure the brain-rot — which prevails so much more widely and fatally?" he wrote.

State of play: Beyond the internet's favorite way to describe their perceived cranial decay, a few other words made Oxford's shortlist. They include:

• Demure — the very viral, very mindful word that was selected as Dictionary.com's 2024 word of the year. Traditionally used to describe a reserved or modest individual, it took on new life thanks to TikTok.
• "Dynamic pricing" — the practice of varying the price for a product or service to reflect changing market conditions — made the shortlist, too.

• "Lore," "romantasy" and "slop" also received honorable mentions.

Flashback: Last year's honor — "Rizz," short for charisma — also stemmed from internet vernacular.

• "Looking back at the Oxford Word of the Year over the past two decades, you can see society's growing preoccupation with how our virtual lives are evolving, the way internet culture is permeating so much of who we are and what we talk about," said Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages.

Go deeper: Gen Z glossary: Terms you might hear at the Thanksgiving table