Hubris

When:

Lookups spiked on April 10, 2012.

Why:

The word was often invoked on the 100th anniversary of the Titanic's departure from Southampton, England. For example, as The Guardian observed:

"Part of the enduring pull of the Titanic story is that it, yes, illustrates man's hubris to the point that the ship itself has become a cliched metaphor."

Hubris means "exaggerated pride or self-confidence" and comes directly from the Greek word with the same meaning.

Hubris is nearly always used in this context to refer to human ambitions - and not, for example, to the specific actions of the Titanic's crew.