• by December 1, 2004

Now here's a first - the Merriam-Webster dictionary says the word "blog" has earned a place on its list of the 10 words of the year. Merriam reports that "blog" ranks as one of the most looked-up words on its Web site this year. The dictionary defines a "blog" as "a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks."

That's kind of a parochial definition considering the rich and wide variety of content out there. Blogs are, or can be, so much more. They represent the pinnacle of self-publishing. They exist within a greater universe often dubbed "the blogosphere" (now what are the chances that "blogosphere" will show up in the dictionary?), and are linked to one another by subject matter and tone. Many carry advertising, others don't. Some feature the snarky rantings of deranged lunatics, others serve up the private musings of misanthropic woodsmen.

Among other notable entries on the dictionary's top-10 list were "incumbent" and "partisan," "hurricane," and "cicada." The dictionary compiles the list by taking the most researched words on its Web sites and then excluding commonly researched words like "affect" and "effect."

So for all you dictionary readers, look for "blog" in the 2005 Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition.