Elena Kagan Quote Provides a Runner-Up in Dictionary’s ‘Words of Summer’
A quote from the U.S. Supreme Court’s newest justice generated so many lookups on Merriam-Webster.com that the dictionary has proclaimed it one of its “Top Words of Summer 2010.”
The word is “vapid,” used by Elena Kagan in a 1995 law review article, the Associated Press reports. The article calls the confirmation process “a vapid and hollow charade.”
Merriam-Webster lists the other top words in a press release. At the top of the list was Sarah Palin’s own coinage, the word “refudiate,” a combination of “refute” and “repudiate.”
Another word used in a legal setting is on the online dictionary’s new Trend Watch highlighting words generating the most interest. On Aug. 30, the top word was “acrimonious,” used by TMZ.com to describe a breakup leading to a divorce filing by Guns ‘N Roses guitarist Slash.
