'Vax' is Word of the Year 2021

'Vax' is this year's Word of the Year according to Oxford Languages, the company who make the Oxford English Dictionary.

Oxford Languages said that the word 'vax' was used 72 times more in 2021 than in 2020.

"From vax sites and vax cards to getting vaxxed and being fully vaxxed, no word better captures the atmosphere of the past year than vax." said Oxford Languages in a post on their site.

According to the report by Oxford Languages, the word 'vax' first appeared as a noun - a 'naming' word - in the 1980's, then began to be used as a verb - a 'doing' word - in the early 21st century.

The word is used the most in the US, Australia and South East Asia, but is on the rise in the UK.

"When reviewing the language evidence, vax stood out as an obvious choice." said Casper Grathwohl, The president of Oxford Languages.

"The word's dramatic spike in usage caught our attention first. Then we ran the analysis and a story started to emerge, revealing how vax sat at the centre of our preoccupations this year." he said.

Oxford Languages looked at how often the word was used in news articles from around the world, as part of their study.

If you cannot see the quiz, click here.