The singular term "they" - used as a pronoun for those who identify as non-binary - has been voted word of the decade by US linguists.
The American Dialect Society said the term embodied 2010 to 2020 and also won word of the year in 2015.
Singer Sam Smith helped bring the term to the spotlight after asking fans to use the pronouns "they/them", not "he/him", after coming out as non-binary in September 2019.
The performer said they did not feel male or female, but "flows somewhere in between".
The society voted "(My) pronouns" - used as an introduction for sharing someone's personal pronouns as in she/her - as its word of the year for 2019.
The two awards were decided by 350 members of the society at its annual meeting of academics, graduate students and word lovers on Friday in New Orleans.
American Dialect Society’s New Words Committee chairman, Ben Zimmer, said when a "basic part of speech like pronouns becomes a vital indicator of social trends, linguists pay attention".
“The selection of “(my) pronouns” as word of the year speaks to how the personal expression of gender identity has become an increasing part of our shared discourse," he said.
"That trend is also reflected in singular “they” being chosen as word of the decade, with a growing recognition of the use of they for those whose identities don’t conform to the binary of he and she.”
Word of the year is interpreted in its broader sense and can include phrases.
Vocabulary does not have to be brand-new, but it must have been have "newly prominent or notable in the past year".
Other nominees for decade of the year included "BlackLivesMatter”, the hashtag used to protest alleged unfair treatment by the police against ethnic minorities, and "climate" reflecting increased interest in environmental issues.
The "MeToo" hashtag was also a contender which was used on Twitter to highlight widespread patterns of sexual abuse and harassment that women have faced at the hands of men.
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Nominees for word of the year 2019 included "ok boomer" a term used as a retort to someone older, usually from the baby boom generation, who expresses condescending views.
"Cancel”, meaning to withdraw support from someone or something and "Karen" the stereotype of a complaining, self-important, demanding woman, typically from the Generation x.
Past word of the year winners include 2017's "fake news" 2012's "hashtag" and 2009's "tweet".
The 131-year-old society includes linguists, lexicographers, etymologists, grammarians, historians, researchers, writers, editors, students, and independent scholars.
