"Lockdown" has been declared Word of the Year 2020 by Collins Dictionary.
Defined as "the imposition of stringent restrictions on travel, social interaction, and access to public spaces", the Dictionary said it added the term because it "encapsulates the shared experience of billions of people who have had to restrict their daily lives in order to contain the virus".
Collins’ lexicographers registered over a quarter of a million usages of "lockdown" this year, compared to 4000 the previous year.
Many countries around the world including New Zealand went into lockdown this year to try and stop the spread of the deadly Covid-19 coronavirus.
The virus has claimed over 1,260,000 lives worldwide, and infected almost 51 million people.
The top 10 words added were dominated by words and phrases relating to the pandemic, including "furlough", "key worker", "self-isolate", "coronavirus" and "social distancing".
"Megxit", which is modelled on the word "Brexit", refers to the withdrawal of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from royal duties and the abbreviation "BLM" for Black Lives Matter also influenced the list.
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