Un-word of the year and inappropriate word of the year (German: Unwort des Jahres) refer to an annual action in which a German linguists' panel chooses one new or recently popularized term that violates human rights or infringes upon Democratic principles. The term may be one that discriminates against societal groups or may be euphemistic, disguising or misleading. The term is usually, but not always, a German term. The term is chosen from suggestions sent in by the public. The choice of the word does not depend on how many times it was suggested/sent in, but reflects the judgement of the panel. The core of the panel consists of four linguists and one journalist. The un-word of the previous year is announced annually in January.