Vol. 10 · Portmanteaus ·Contemporary (2000–) ·2012
Brexit
Britain exit
- Meaning
- The UK's withdrawal from the European Union.
- Source words
- Britain + exit
- Coined by
- Peter Wilding
- Year
- 2012
Background
Coined in a blog post for the think tank British Influence, four years before the referendum. Pronounced "Grexit" (Greece + exit, 2012) set the template.
Contemporary (2000–)
Faster coinage, faster canonisation. Brexit and podcast both reached the OED within a decade of first use — historically rapid. Social media has made visibility, not invention, the rate-limiting step.
Two words, one coinage.
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