The GIF -- a humble file format turned verb -- has been named Oxford Dictionaries USA Word of the Year for 2012.
The award completes the 25-year-old GIF's stunning rise from format of choice for annoying online animations to a sort of common language of internet culture.
"Like so many other relics of the 80s, it has never been trendier," wrote lexicographer Katherine Martin in a blog post conveying the news. "GIF celebrated a lexical milestone in 2012, gaining traction as a verb, not just a noun. The GIF has evolved from a medium for pop-cultural memes into a tool with serious applications including research and journalism, and its lexical identity is transforming to keep pace."
Here's Oxford's official definition:
GIF, verb to create a GIF file of (an image or video sequence, especially relating to an event)
The word beat out competitors Eurogeddon and superstorm, among others, to rise to the top of the word experts' list. And in the United Kingdom, the word of the year is: omnishambles.
