Oxford Dictionary's word of the year for 2015 isn't a word at all – it's an emoji, Digital Spy reports.
In a move that's sure to spark dumbing-down allegations, the folks behind the popular reference book have handed this year's gong to the 'Face with Tears of Joy' symbol.
Oxford claims that the crying smiley was chosen because it is the "word" that "best reflected the ethos, mood, and preoccupations of 2015".
Emoji fever certainly gripped Britain in 2015, with data from the Oxford Dictionaries Corpus suggesting that smiley usage more than tripled this year.
'Face with Tears of Joy' edged out words and phrases like Dark Web, ad blocker, lumbersexual (a term for rugged outdoor types), and Brexit (a word describing Britain's hypothetical exit from the EU) to win the award.
The emoji wasn't available for comment, but it's safe to assume that he cried tears of joy when he heard the announcement.
