The Oxford Dictionaries' Word of the Year is...toxic.The British publisher defines the adjective toxic as "poisonous."The word first appeared in English in the 1650s.It came from the Latin word toxicus, meaning "poisoned."The Latin word itself actually came from the Greek term toxon, meaning "bow."In ancient Greece, fighters with bowswould put poison on the points of their arrows.Oxford chooses a Word of the Yearthat best describes the mood of the past year.The word also should "have lasting potential"as a term of cultural importance.Oxford said its data showed a 45 percent rise in searchesfor the word toxic on its website in 2018.The searches began with the toxic chemical poisoningof former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Britain.Then, in Syria, a toxic chemical weapon attack killedat least 40 people and led to a missile strike from the United States.The public also was concerned about toxic gasafter a series of hurricanes and other storms.Others worried about the burning of toxic waste in Indiaand toxic air pollution around the world.In the American state of Florida, huge numbers of dead fishwashed up on the beaches because of toxic algae.But the increasingly common phrase "toxic environment"has nothing to do with pollution.Oxford says people searched for this phrasein connection to unpleasant workplace environments,including the worldwide walkout of Google employees.They were protesting sexual wrongdoing, unequal pay and discrimination.Others wanted to know about toxic relationships,especially connected to the #MeToo movement against sex abuseand the confirmation hearing of Brett Kavanaughas a U.S. Supreme Court Justice.The word gaslighting was another top word of 2018, Oxford says.It defines the word as "the action of manipulating someoneby psychological means into acceptinga false depiction of reality or doubting their own sanity."It says the word has been used to describe claimsby the administration of President Donald Trumpthat "the media are spreading ‘fake news.'"Gaslighting is also used to describethe British government position on Brexit– Britain's withdrawal from the European Union.