Merriam-Webster announced the 'Word of the 2009 ' today: admonish.

Admonish (ad-ˈmä-nish)
transitive verb
Etymology: Middle English admonesten, from Anglo-French amonester, from Vulgar Latin admonestare, alteration of Latin admonēre to warn, from ad- + monēre to warn
Date: 14th century

1 a : to indicate duties or obligations to b : to express warning or disapproval to especially in a gentle, earnest, or solicitous manner
2 : to give friendly earnest advice or encouragement to
3: duty of SFist commenters

"Admonish" was the most frequently looked up word in 2009. Runners up include emaciated,
empathy, furlough, and inaugurate.