If you’re wondering what monticello, katz, and sobriquet mean, you’re not alone. They are among the definitions googled most by Australians in 2024.
Rounding out the Top 10 list of definitions Aussies needed to know in 2024, is an other-worldly architectural style.
10. Baroque
The term can also be used to describe styles of art and music. These days, baroque is used colloquially to refer to something that is either ‘excellent’ or ‘high-end.’
9. Ergo
You may have come across this word in a secondary school English class. Ergo is a formal way of saying ‘therefore.’ In 2024/2025, it is used to denote something that is amazing or cool.
8. Ascot
It sounds like a reference to England’s most prestigious horse race, and in a way it is. The traditional meaning of ascot is a silk scarf worn around the neck, a sartorial style that was popular in the 19th century. In the 1700s it was worn to the Royal Ascot races as a part of ‘morning dress’ attire. These days, the words ascot and cravat are used interchangeably.
7. Biota
Defined by the Cambridge dictionary as ‘the animals and plants living in a particular place, time or habitat,’ the term biota is used in a different capacity today. According to Urban Dictionary, it is now an acronym for everyone’s favourite morning-after excuse, ‘Blame it on the alcohol.’
6. Katz
To ‘katz,’ is to be joyful! The term is used to describe something pleasing. It can also take the place of the word ‘yes.’
5. Sobriquet
Fittingly, another word for sobriquet, is ‘nickname.’ Andrew Forrest, the second richest person in Australia, is often called by the ‘sobriquet’ Twiggy.
4. Monticello
As well as being a location in California, Monticello is an Italian word for ‘little mountain.’ History buffs will also know the term as the name US founding father Thomas Jefferson gave to the palatial home he built in Virginia.
3. Vox
Another old-world term, vox populi is Latin for ‘voice of the people.’ In journalism, a ‘vox pop’ or ‘vox’ is a reporting technique to discover the majority opinion. In the music industry, vox refers to a vocalist or singer.
2. Solfege
The term ‘solfege’ entered pop culture when the Sound of Music featured its sounds in a lively song performed by Julie Andrews. Solfege is a singing exercise to learn music made up of Italian words that represent sounds – do re mi fa sol la ti do.
1. Demure
A TikTok video that was very much not ‘demure’ went viral in 2024. US content creator JoolieAnnie posted a video of herself wearing heavy makeup, describing it as ‘very demure, very mindful.’ The clip received 55 million views and sparked a craze of content creators around the world describing everyday occurrences using the same phrase.
Demure was the term googled most in 2024, as Aussies sought to understand and jump on board with the linguistic trend.
From baroque to solfège and everything in between, we wish you a mindful and cutesy new year, and a 2025 that is as demure as you please.
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