Dictionary firm picks 'ism' as its word of the year

The small but powerful suffix "ism" has been chosen as word of the year by Merriam-Webster, the US company that publishes reference books, especially dictionaries.

But it's not just any ism. The top isms referenced on the company's website this year are socialism, fascism, racism, feminism, communism, capitalism and terrorism.

"We had a lot on our minds this year," said Peter Sokolowski, the company's editor-at-large. "It's a serious year. These are words of ideas and practices. We're educating ourselves."