That’s right! Due to its increased popularity and widespread use across the internet, “-ussy” has become the word of the year, according to the American Dialect Society. The organization believes the use and evolution of a widely-used word is what’s important. Not the word’s origin or its raciness.
Initially it started with the term “bussy,” which was popularized by social media. People attaching “-ussy” to the ends of words became more widespread, enjoying it in a comical and theoretical sense as well. From terms like “Scotussy” to “Truckussy,” for instance.
Before you go rolling your eyes, you should know over 200 linguists voted on this word. Due in part to its versatility, but it was agreed “-ussy” embodied the spirit of 2022 best. The suffix received a whopping 108 votes.
Ben Zimmer, chair of the ADS, says the word has “snowballed as a playful way of extending a somewhat taboo concept in all sorts of unforeseen directions — especially among the LGBTQ+ community, where this kind of racy wordplay is often prized.” Thanks to how easily trends are picked up, sites like TikTok and Twitter helped perpetuate the word even further.
We, for one, find it incredibly amusing. Especially after Merriam-Webster added the words “sus” and “cringe” due to their popularity. “Gaslight” was the word of 2022.
