5 Issue One, Two Thousand and Twenty-Five www.aadej.org FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF readers to hit the link to study more about words, beyond the definitions. That is OK as long as one wants to dedicate the time to the endeavor. Dictionary.com is also helpfully linked to a sister site, Thesaurus.com. But, it also has links to: Games, Featured, Pop Culture, and Writing Tips. And, of course, it publishes its Word of the Year. Recent Words of the Year include: hallucinate (2023), woman (2022), allyship (2021), and pandemic (2020). Dictionary.com goes to great lengths to explain how Words of the Year are chosen, and the reads are interesting. In 2024, the top five contenders that didn’t get crowned were: 1. Brainrot 2. Brat 3. Extreme Weather 4. Midwest Nice 5. Weird Why were these highly ranked? Readers will just have to go to the site and find out. However, Dictionary.com’s Word of the Year for 2024 is: da da da daaa, da da daaa: demure. Demure was picked in part because Dictionary.com analyzed headlines, trends on social media, and search engine results. Demure experienced a significant increase in usage in 2024, 1,200% in web media for instance. The definition has changed slightly because of the increased usage, from reserved, quiet, or modest to refined or sophisticated. All three sites do a good job at what they do; they are worth investigating. Now, my personal Word of the Year for 2024 is “lucubrate.” The Latin is a plus, and my brain just likes it, plus it is nice to have a term for what one has been doing forever. Check it out, and Write On! Answer: Sometimes, but not always. The Communicator is pleased to feature the 2024 AADEJ-ADEA Gies Award recipients, beginning with the third-place editorial by Dr. Elizabeth Watanabe, pages 17–19, related to the impact, challenges, and ethical concerns of AI in dentistry. To learn how to submit 2025 works for 2026 recognition, see Awards at aadej.org.
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