The word of the year for 2012 is hashtag. #Hashtag, a word someone also dared to name a baby in 2012 ... so, I guess that cements it. In a final vote of 118 to 99 in a runoff against marriage equality (winner of "Most Likely to Succeed"), at the annual Word of the Year event held by the American Dialect Society, hashtag took it home. A round of applause for the word lover's version of the Academy Awards. That was exciting!

#woty12 Final WotY voting list: YOLO, fiscal cliff, #hashtag, Gangnam style, marriage equality, 47 percent

— Am. Dialect Society (@americandialect) January 4, 2013

There were other wins, too, as there were a number of categories also up for votes. According to the results tweeted by the @AmericanDialect Society, here are the category winners, along with their competition (additions to our earlier list of finalists were nominated from the floor):

MOST USEFUL
WINNER: In a runoff with YOLO, -(po)calypse, -(ma)geddon nabbed it, 115-62. 

Also nominated:
beardruff
hate-watching

MOST CREATIVE
WINNER: gate lice, after a runoff with mansplaining (93-90)

Also nominated:
alpacalypse
dancelexia 

MOST UNNECESSARY
WINNER: legitimate rape, 94 votes

#woty12 "legitimate rape" is Most Unnecessary WotY (to no applause)

— Am. Dialect Society (@americandialect) January 4, 2013

Also nominated: 
Frankenstorm
HD
feels

MOST OUTRAGEOUS
WINNER: legitimate rape, 156 votes

Also nominated:
Dunlop effect
slut-shaming
butt-chugging

MOST EUPHEMISTIC
WINNER: self-deportation, 142 votes

Also nominated:
disruptive
Gray Thursday
ratchet
evolution

MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED
WINNER: marriage equality, 156 votes

Also nominated:
fiscal cliff
superstorm
MOOC
big data

LEAST LIKELY TO SUCCEED
WINNER (TIE): YOLO and phablet, 91-92

#woty12 Within the margin of error, thus co-winners! "phablet" and "YOLO" are Least Likely to Succeed

— Am. Dialect Society (@americandialect) January 4, 2013

Also nominated:
cray-cray
Gangnam style
Windows Metro
meggings

ELECTION WORDS
WINNER: Binders full of women, 107 votes

Also nominated: 
47 percent 
Etch-a-Sketch 
Eastwooding 
Romney/Obama
malarkey

#woty12 "binders full of women", despite being not lexicalized, is the Election Word of the Year

— Am. Dialect Society (@americandialect) January 4, 2013

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Jen Doll