Merriam-Webster announces "Word of the Year"

Merriam-Webster has announced its 2009 Word of the Year, and a South Carolina congressman had a lot to do with it. The 2009 Word of the Year according to Merriam-Webster: admonish, to express warning or disapproval in a gentle and earnest manner.
The word became popular in the news this year after South Carolina Representative Joe Wilson shouted out “You lie” to President Obama at a health care address. The U.S. House admonished Wilson for his outburst.
The Associated Press reports the word beat out other finalists including “emaciated,” which was used to describe Michael Jackson’s body after his death. Also, “nugatory,” which means of little or no consequence. Merriam-Webster finds a word of the year based on the word’s popularity between news and vocabulary.