'Podcast,' one of the hottest terms in technology, is 2005's Word Of The Year, according to the editors of the New Oxford American Dictionary.

Defined as "a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar program, made available on the Internet for downloading to a personal audio player," 'podcast' will be added to the next online update of the dictionary in early 2006.

"Podcast was considered for inclusion last year, but we found that not enough people were using it, or were even familiar with the concept," said Erin McKean, the dictionary's editor-in-chief said in a statement. "This year it's a completely different story. The word has finally caught up with the rest of the iPod phenomenon."

Runners up for the 2005 honor ranged from "bird flu" to "trans fat."