From permacrisis to splooting, society's interest balances with words

The strangeness of the new decade has continued, for many, through what are now the final weeks of 2022.

A few joked when the year was new that it was pronounced "2020, too," and in many ways, they were right.

As our top stories of the year are printed throughout North Central Ohio over the coming weeks, readers will notice that the region has been affected by murders, scandals, and uncertainties.

The same can be said of the world, which is why "permacrisis" was named as humanity's word of the year for 2022.

There have also been a lot of fun times this year, though, in Richland, Wayne, Crawford, Ashland and Holmes counties, which has been an equally important yet very different reflection of our planet's society as a whole.

Perhaps that's why, as nations have explored the possibility of "permacrisis," they have also immersed themselves in the adorable concept of "splooting," which just so happens to be the word from 2022 that we all needed the most.

Can the permacrisis ever end?

Any young child still learning his or her shapes and colors may not realize that Earth has not always been plagued by pandemic.

Nor has there always been war, economic turmoil, or seemingly endless discussion of climate change.

That is why Collins English Dictionary has chosen "permacrisis" as the word of the year.

The word is a noun defined by Collins as "an extended period of instability and insecurity."

Writers from the publication described it as "a term that perfectly embodies the dizzying sense of lurching from one unprecedented event to another, as we wonder bleakly what new horrors might be around the corner."

"Much more of this and we might have forgotten what stability and security ever felt like," the publication continued.

The word has launched other phrases into popularity this year, the dictionary contends, such as "warm banks" (places where those too poor to heat their own homes can gather in the event of a cold snap), "lawfare" (the use or abuse of legal powers to silence opponents), and "quiet quitting" (doing no more work than one is contractually obliged to do).

Could our pets know best after all?

Across the spectrum from the aforementioned word sits — rather, reclines — the term "splooting."

Collins defines splooting as "the act of lying flat on the stomach with the legs stretched out."

The Washington Post further explains that it's an idea "denoting a position taken up by animals in the heat as they splay their legs and arms to cool down, delighting pet owners and onlookers."

The dictionary suggest that humans might be wise to learn from their behavior, writing that "we all could be forgiven for just wanting to join our furry friends in splooting … until all of these problems have gone away."

ztuggle@gannett.com

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Twitter: @zachtuggle

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: From permacrisis to splooting, society's interest balances with words