MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Society for the German Language (GfdS) named the word "refugees" Germany's word of the year 2015.
"What's decisive in choosing the Word of the Year isn't how often it's used, but much more its significance and popularity," the Local news outlet reported Friday, citing GfdS announcement.
According to the GfdS, the list of the ten most important words reflects the reality the German society has been facing throughout the year.
Hundreds of thousands of refugees flee war-torn regions of the Middle East and North Africa to reach the European Union. They use Turkey and Greece as transit states en route to wealthy EU states, especially Germany.
The EU border agency Frontex estimates that over 1.2 million illegal crossings have been detected at the bloc's borders since the beginning of the year.