LONDON -- One of Britain's top central bankers has apologized for using sexist language when saying the British economy is entering a "menopausal" moment. In a statement Wednesday in response to The Daily Telegraph's front-page headline, Ben Broadbent said he was "sorry" for his "poor choice of language" in an interview with the newspaper.

The Bank of England's deputy governor for monetary policy said he was looking to explain the meaning of the word "climacteric" - a term, he said, that was used by economic historians to describe low productivity growth during the nineteenth century.

He said that "economic productivity is something which affects every one of us, of all ages and genders."