Late in 2009, the New Oxford American Dictionary announced that -- a word meaning to remove someone from a list of friends on a social network like -- was its 2009 Word of the Year.

Other words that the Oxford English Dictionary added this month, include "taquito," is a crisp-fried Tex-Mex snack, along with "California roll," a type of sushi.

For those who eat too many taquitos or California rolls, the dictionary added the term "muffin top," which could refer to the actual top of a muffin, or to a protuberance of love handles hanging over the top of one's pants.

Sharon Gaudin covers the Internet and Web 2.0, emerging technologies, and desktop and laptop chips for Computerworld. Follow Sharon on Twitter at or subscribe to . Her e-mail address is .

in Computerworld's Web 2.0 and Web Apps Topic Center.