Among the words durable enough to make the cut was “bonus,” which had not been commonly used in Spanish until the spotlight shifted to Spain’s troubled bankers and the money they made. There was also “burbuja,” or bubble, like the one that burst in the housing market, and “población activa,” or the population old enough to work, which came into use because a sizable share of it is not working.

Similarly, several terms rooted in the economic crisis were among the 5,000 words added to the updated version of the Duden, the definitive work of the German language, which came out in July. They include “schuldenbremse,” literally “debt brake,” and “eurobond,” a reference to proposals for the European Union to issue bonds to cover the debt of euro-using nations; Germans fear that such bonds would place onerous obligations on them. While the word may exist, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government has done its best to make sure the bond does not.

Not to be left out, a French sociologist, Denis Muzet, recently published a book, “Les Mots de la Crise,” or “The Words of the Crisis,” analyzing the terms that have entered the language since the economic downturn. His list includes “perte du triple A,” or loss of the triple A (as in France’s bond rating); “suppressions d’emploi,” or job cuts; and “choc de compétitivité,” meaning competitiveness shock — all measures of the rude awakening the crisis has presented.

“The way we talk about the crisis contributes to the panic; it contributes to the national depressionnisme,” said Mr. Muzet, coining a word of his own.

The sense of austerity is so pervasive that the word itself is applied in some places to almost anything. If a Portuguese woman wears a short skirt, she might playfully be asked by an admirer if she is in “austerity,” and saving the rest of the cloth.

Europe’s crisis has gone on so long that it is defining a generation, which has been given names like the “Ni-Nis” in Spain for the legions of young people who are neither studying nor working. Or the “geração à rasca” (distressed generation), as they are called in Portugal.

“I’m sadly all too familiar with the Ni-Nis because I’ve had to cope with one at home,” said Carmen Blanco, 43 and unemployed, referring to her 20-year-old daughter, who dropped out of high school and has been living with her. The expression, Ms. Blanco said, “really makes clear this situation of nothingness and hopelessness.”