Word of the Day

: July 30, 2014

selfie

noun SEL-fee

What It Means

: an image of oneself taken by oneself using a digital camera especially for posting on social networks

selfie in Context

Before the game started, David had a chance to take several selfies of himself posing with his favorite players.

"Still, results of a survey by the Pew Research Center released in March show that 55 percent of millennials-those ages 18 to 33-have posted a selfie on a social media site-compared with 26 percent of all Americans." - Doug Moore, Chicago Tribune, June 29, 2014

Did You Know?

The first-known appearance of "selfie" in written form occurred in 2002 on an Australian news website, but the word didn't see much use until 2012. By November 2013, "selfie" was appearing frequently enough in print and electronic media that the Oxford English Dictionary chose the word as its Word of the Year. This announcement itself led to a significant increase in the use of the word by news organizations, an increase that was further boosted following the December 10, 2013, memorial service for Nelson Mandela, at which American President Barack Obama was caught taking a selfie with Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt and British Prime Minister David Cameron. The word "selfie," with its suggestions of self-centeredness and self-involvement, was particularly popular with critics who saw this moment as a reflection of the President's character.