'Armocromia', or colour analysis, 'underdog', 'queer family' and 'eco-taleban' are just some of the terms chosen by Italy's prestigious Treccani Encyclopaedia for the section 'Words of the Year' in a special 2023 edition of its Book of the Year published on Monday.
The book, edited by journalist and essayist Marcello Sorgi, also indicates President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella as 'personality of the year'.
The Treccani Book of the Year carefully chronicles the 365 days of 2023, with articles and analysis by prestigious writers, special features on the most salient events, and an annex on the Words of the Year with the main neologisms selected by the Italian Language Observatory.
The term 'Armocromia' came to the fore in April when the then newly elected secretary of the centre-left opposition Democratic Party (PD) Elly Schlein said in an interview to Vogue Italia that she took advice from an 'armocromista' (colour analyst) when choosing her clothes.
The term 'underdog' went mainstream in October 2022, when Premier Giorgia Meloni used it to describe herself in her first keynote speech to parliament.
"I represent what the English would call the underdog," she told the Lower House, pointing out that she had risen from humble beginnings to become Italy's first woman premier and would beat the odds again in achieving all her policy goals.
'Queer family' is a term that was used by the late intellectual and writer Michela Murgia to describe her unconventional family set-up.
'Eco-taleban' is a term used in some right-wing circles to discredit climate activists including those engaging in acts of civil disobedience.
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