LISBON, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Speculation began as to whether "affection" or "wildfire" would be "victor", as the nominations for Portugal's Word of the Year were announced on Friday.
The ten-word shortlist was compiled by Porto Editora, a publishing house that has promoted the contest since 2009.
Nominations are based on surveys of word use throughout the year and words searched for in the publisher's online dictionaries.
The word "affection" is a favorite in that it is so regularly employed in relation to Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the President of Portugal. His presidency has been characterized by his willing to meet and greet members of the general public.
But the year 2017 will live long in the memory for a series of wildfires that caused over 100 fatalities in June and October.
On a happier note, "victor" commemorates Portugal's triumph in the Eurovision Song Contest.
The full list is: affection, desertification, forest, gentrification, growth, independentist, pilgrim, wildfire, withholding, victor.
People can vote for their preferred word until Dec. 31. The winning word will then be announced Jan. 4.
