"Truthiness" Succeeds Despite Fact-Based Agendas

An Associated Press report indicates that TV satirist Stephen Colbert's neologism, "truthiness," was named one of the top 10 words of 2006 by dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster:

Colbert, who once derided the folks at Springfield-based Merriam-Webster as the "word police" and a bunch of "wordinistas," was pleased.

"Though I'm no fan of reference books and their fact-based agendas, I am a fan of anyone who chooses to honor me," he said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

"And what an honor," he said. "Truthiness now joins the lexicographical pantheon with words like `squash,' `merry,' `crumpet,' `the,' `xylophone,' `circuitous,' `others' and others."