Oxford Dictionary Names Multiplebr 'Words of an Unprecedented Year’.br The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has announced thebr expansion of its traditional “Word of the Year” for 2020. .br In their report, titled “Words of anbr Unprecedented Year,” the OED said itbr was apparent that 2020 cannot be “neatlybr accommodated” in a single word. .br Instead, the OED decided to detail the most importantbr words throughout the year based on spikes in use. .br In January, “bushfire” was the mostbr important word as it was when Australiabr suffered its worst fire season on record. .br In February, the word “acquittal” shot tobr the top since U.S. President Donald Trump wasbr found not guilty in his impeachment trial.br From March onward, terms suchbr as “COVID-19,” “lockdown,”br “social distancing” and “reopening”br dominated our vocabularies. .br In June, “cancel culture,” “BIPOC”br and “Black Lives Matter” grew asbr protests raged across the world. .br “Mail-in” was considered one of the wordsbr of the month in August, referencing U.S. mail-inbr voting for the presidential election.br “Superspreader” was highlightedbr in October after a cluster ofbr COVID-19 cases emergedbr in the White House.