German Words of the Year

The German publisher Langenscheidt declared smombie as the Youth Word of the Year for 2015. A portmanteau of the German borrowings smartphone and zombie, Smombie denotes someone so absorbed in their small, glowing screen that they’re oblivious to the rest of the world. Runner-up words included merkeln, “to do nothing” or “to decide nothing”—a reference to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s deliberate decision-making style—and Maulpesto, or “halitosis”—literally, “mouth pesto.” This is part of a complete episode.