The American dictionary Merriam-Webster has named “surreal” its 2016 Word of the Year. Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary defines the adjective as “very strange or unusual” or “having the quality of a dream.” The word entered the English language in the 1930s, following the artistic movement known as surrealism. Merriam-Webster says searches for “surreal” rose after several world events and tragedies in the past year. Major increases in the number of lookups directly followed the terrorist attacks in Belgium and France, the overthrow attempt in Turkey, the Brexit vote, and the death of American musician Prince. But, Merriam-Webster reports, the largest increase in searches for “surreal” came just after the United States presidential election last month. Its meaning comes from the word’s two parts. The word “real” comes after the preposition “sur,” which means “above” or “over” in the French language. “Surreal” is often used to describe something shocking. People might use the word when they cannot believe -- or do not want to believe -- reality. Surreal can have a negative or positive meaning. For example, the Grand Canyon or a trip to the Moon could be described as surreal. Other popular words of 2016 include revenant, icon, and bigly, Merriam-Webster says.