GREEN is the new black, say dictionary experts at Oxford University Press.
They have chosen 'footprint' as their word of the year for 2007.
Now they are asking the public to join an online poll to find the nation's favourite new words.
Oxford expert Susie Dent, of TV's Countdown, said: "The 21st century has seen the prolific 'greening' of our language as well as our culture.
"Today, phrases such as 'reduce your footprint' require no glossing - the new imperative, which many scientists feel has been expressed far too late, is to minimize our impact on the planet."
Meanwhile, the history of the exclamation 'Gordon Bennett' and 33 other words have been updated in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) after the public helped to trace their first use.
'Gordon Bennett', listed as a euphemism for Gorblimey (derived from "God blind me") was found in a 1937 novel by James Curtis called You're in the Racket, Too! .
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