'Bailout' Is Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Everyone seems to want one, but apparently a lot of Americans aren't sure exactly what a "bailout" is.

People looked it up so often on Merriam-Webster's online dictionary that the Springfield-based publisher says "bailout" was an easy choice for its annual Word of the Year honor.

The rest of the list features other terms used at times of economic peril, "trepidation," "precipice" and "turmoil."

Several phrases from the presidential campaign also made the cut: "bipartisan," "vet" — as in to appraise and evaluate — and, of course, "maverick."