pluto

Originally coined in 2006 by the American Dialect Society, in reference to Pluto's demotion from planet status, defeating climate canary for Word of the Year. Was believed by many to be a self-promotion attempt.

pluto (third-person singular simple present plutos, present participle plutoing, simple past and past participle plutoed)

1. (neologism) To demote or devalue something.
   • 2007 April 21, The Meerkat <the_meerkat@hotmail.com>, OT:Catholic Church ditches Limbo, aus.tv, Usenet.

     Limbo has been plutoed. No half way house any more. It's heaven or hell.

   • 2007, Andrew Swift, The Daily Iowan - Opinion Column

     Winter is dead. The break the university community has just returned from is ostensibly known as winter break. But those who stayed in the Iowa City area know the sad truth: The four seasons Midwesterners grew up with have been Plutoed.

   • 2007, Richard Davis, Courier Press - Entertainment Column

     I'm sure I looked really cool (or has that word been plutoed?) in my sneakers and old-fashioned Levis, next to jocks, Greek Life poster children, guys with Bluetooth headsets, and a young woman in ski boots and leotards that left little to the imagination.

   • 2008 April 13, GET WISDOM! <sofatoye@sofatoye.com>, GET WISDOM! Understanding, GET WISDOM!, Usenet.

     As a result of...plutoing that class, I made room for another in-depth marketing class that will better serve me and you, my clients and readers.

• American Dialect Society's Word of the Year (2006)

• Appendix:American Dialect Society words of the year

• pluot, poult