'Pansexual': Janelle Monae makes it Merriam-Webster's most searched term

(RNN) - Singer Janelle Monae's identification as pansexual caused definition searches for the term to increase more than 11,000 percent, Merriam Webster stated.

The Grammy-nominated artist came out in a "Rolling Stone" story published Thursday. She discussed how she initially identified as bisexual, having romantic relationships with men and women.

"Then later I read about pansexuality and was like, 'Oh, these are things that I identify with too,'" she said. "I'm open to learning more about who I am."

Merriam-Webster's Twitter account stated "pansexual" became its top search Thursday, soon after the article's release.

"The sense of pansexual that is most often encountered today is defined as 'of, relating to, or characterized by sexual desire or attraction that is not limited to people of a particular gender identity or sexual orientation,'" said a representative in Merriam-Webster's "Trend Watch" blog.

Monae, 32, discussed how she had dodged questions for years about her sexuality, even using her "android persona" Cindy Mayweather and staying in character as a sort of shield.

"I created her, so I got to make her be whatever I wanted her to be," she said in the interview. "I didn't have to talk about the Janelle Monae, who was in therapy. It's Cindi Mayweather. She is who I aspire to be."

WARNING: Some language in the Rolling Stone article may be objectionable to readers.

Monae's interview dropped a day ahead of the release of her third album, "Dirty Computer."

Pop culture also had a role in the No. 2 most-searched term of the week, "symbiote." The 35,700 percent spike in searches for the word occurred along with the release of the "Venom" movie trailer Tuesday, with many wondering whether it was pronounced sym-BI-ote or sym-BEE-ote.

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