Tatiana Maria
Majesty
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The term "Brexit" was coined in 2012 and was already widely used by the British media and general public in 2016, before it had been revealed that Prince Harry's girlfriend was Meghan Markle.
Etymology Corner - Collins Word of the Year 2016 - Collins Dictionary Language Blog
The facts of when the term "Megxit" was coined were described by the Collins Dictionary's representative in one of the articles in the original post.
Etymology Corner - Collins Word of the Year 2016 - Collins Dictionary Language Blog
Brexit
Surely the most significant event in British politics for many years occurred on 23 June 2016 when voters decided that Britain should leave the European Union. Even before departure from the EU became a reality, a new word had been coined to describe the act: Brexit. Brexit was on everyone’s lips in 2016, and we even heard about ‘Brexiteers’ (proponents of the vote to leave) and debated the merits of a ‘hard Brexit’ (complete withdrawal) or a ‘soft Brexit’ (a gradual withdrawal while still preserving close ties).
The roots of the word ‘Brexit’ can be traced to 2012, when the economist Ebrahim Rahbari coined the term ‘Grexit’ as a shorthand for ‘Greek exit’, referring to the possibility that Greece might be forced to leave the euro zone as a result of its economic crisis. The term struck a chord, and when the question arose of other countries leaving the EU, journalists played around with variations on the theme. An article in The Economist later in 2012 coined the term ‘Brixit’, but this failed to catch on and by the following year ‘Brexit’ was starting to emerge as the generally preferred term for a British exit.
Surely the most significant event in British politics for many years occurred on 23 June 2016 when voters decided that Britain should leave the European Union. Even before departure from the EU became a reality, a new word had been coined to describe the act: Brexit. Brexit was on everyone’s lips in 2016, and we even heard about ‘Brexiteers’ (proponents of the vote to leave) and debated the merits of a ‘hard Brexit’ (complete withdrawal) or a ‘soft Brexit’ (a gradual withdrawal while still preserving close ties).
The roots of the word ‘Brexit’ can be traced to 2012, when the economist Ebrahim Rahbari coined the term ‘Grexit’ as a shorthand for ‘Greek exit’, referring to the possibility that Greece might be forced to leave the euro zone as a result of its economic crisis. The term struck a chord, and when the question arose of other countries leaving the EU, journalists played around with variations on the theme. An article in The Economist later in 2012 coined the term ‘Brixit’, but this failed to catch on and by the following year ‘Brexit’ was starting to emerge as the generally preferred term for a British exit.
The facts of when the term "Megxit" was coined were described by the Collins Dictionary's representative in one of the articles in the original post.
Why ‘Megxit’ is in the dictionary for good as it becomes an official word of the year
Collins, which adeptly monitors word usage by studying sources such as newspapers and social media, found that Megxit was one of the most popular new entries to the lexicon. According to the Times it was first recorded in 2019, when newspapers used it to refer to staff leaving the duchess’s household, but garnered fresh steam after January 8, when the couple announced their intention to step back. Speaking to the Times, a representative at Collins said: ‘It immediately caught on due to its echoes of ‘Brexit’. The use of Meghan’s name has been taken in some quarters as identifying the Duchess as the instigator of the withdrawal.’
Collins, which adeptly monitors word usage by studying sources such as newspapers and social media, found that Megxit was one of the most popular new entries to the lexicon. According to the Times it was first recorded in 2019, when newspapers used it to refer to staff leaving the duchess’s household, but garnered fresh steam after January 8, when the couple announced their intention to step back. Speaking to the Times, a representative at Collins said: ‘It immediately caught on due to its echoes of ‘Brexit’. The use of Meghan’s name has been taken in some quarters as identifying the Duchess as the instigator of the withdrawal.’
