word of the year

'SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) - After 12 months of naked partisanship on Capitol Hill, on cable TV and in the blogosphere, the word of the year for 2006 is . . . 'truthiness.'

The word'if one can call it that'best summed up 2006, according to an online survey by dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster.

'Truthiness' was credited to Comedy Central satirist Stephen Colbert, who defined it as 'truth that comes from the gut, not books.'. . .

Colbert, who once derided the folks at Springfield-based Merriam-Webster as the 'word police' and a bunch of 'wordinistas,' was pleased.

'Though I'm no fan of reference books and their fact-based agendas, I am a fan of anyone who chooses to honor me,' he said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.'

'Adam Gorlick, Associated Press Writer, Friday December 8, 2006.