"Maplewash" Canadian word of the year according to Queen's University

"Elbows-up" was a close second in a poll conducted in partnership with the Society for Canadian English.

What's the word in Canada for 2025?

Queen's University, in partnership with the Society for Canadian English, recently held a poll asking Canadians to select the first-ever Canadian Word of the Year.

The word that received the most votes was 'maplewash'.

Researcher in the Strathy Language Unit at Queen's Emma Ferrett says it means the deceptive practice of making things look more Canadian than they actually are.

The top two words in the poll were ones that reflected the current trade war between Canada and the United States.

Maplewash earned 33.8 percent of the vote compared to 31.3 percent for elbows-up. There were hundreds of submissions and the list was shortened to about 10 words.

Ferrett says they wanted the poll to feature words that only someone living in Canada would use and understand. Popular words like rage-bait, six-seven, and para-social were not considered.

She says the poll coincided with the development of a dictionary that featured words that are uniquely Canadian. 

Ferrett says the purpose of the poll and dictionary is to let the world know that there is such a thing as Canadian English and it has its own language.

Story by Ken Hashizume