vape Is Oxford Dictionarys 2014 Word Of The Year
2014 is almost over and it was time that Oxford Dictionary finally named their Word Of The Year.
The winner is, Vape!
This decision came from the ever-growing recognition of ecigarettes, so popular now that even Oxford Dictionary took notice. vape can be either a noun or a verb and has beat out contenders such as normcore and bae.
So What Exactly Does vape Mean?
As seasoned vapers, we know what the word means to us. But how does the rest of the world and Oxford Dictionary define it? Vape originated as an abbreviation of the words vapor or vaporize. It was not until August 2014 that it was turned into an official verb with the meaning, to inhale and exhale the vapor produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device.[1] The ecig on its own and the action can also be correctly referred to as a vape. The noun vaping has also been listed in this definition.
Why Was Vape The Winner?
eCigs have grown into popularity so quickly, that the significance and use of vape also skyrocketed along with it. Now you are thirty times more likely to come across the word vape than you were a couple of years ago and the usage of the word has doubled over the past year.
The usage of vape was at its highest in April when protests were held in response to New York Citys ban on indoor vaping was first introduced. It was also in this month when vaping became a highlighted issue debated by The Washington Post, the BBC and many other news outlets.
Vaping & Other Words
Vape has now become a modifier for other nouns, which has created new vaping compound nouns that are now also becoming widespread.
Here are some examples:
Vape pen
Vape fluid
Vape juice
Vape lounge
Vape café
Check out this official definition entry for "Vape" from OxfordDictionary.com
Vape Before It Was Even A Thing
Did you know that the word vaping actually existed a long time before it became mainstream? An article from 1983 in New Society titled, Why Do People Smoke? uses the term. The author named Rob Stepney described in his article this hypothetical device, an inhaler or non-combustible cigarette, looking much like the real thing, but delivering a metered dose of nicotine vapor. (The new habit, if it catches on, would be known as vaping)
Although with Oxford Dictionarys research, it was not until 2009 that the word of vape in the sense it is used now actually began to take shape. But still it looks like Rob Stepney predicted our vape-filled future!
So how do you feel about Vape being The Word Of The Year? The anti-vape community isnt too keen on the spotlight as it is garnering more attention to the vape scene. But they really should just be happy that the word bae wasnt chosen.
