‘Heart’ becomes verb in Oxford English Dictionary, OMG and LOL added

The somewhat casual and oft-maligned vernacular of the internet has had a bit of an influence on the latest set of updates to the Oxford English Dictionary.

The “premiere dictionary of the English language” has added a slew of words typically associated with texting or chatting on the internet, ones often used in social media contexts like on Facebook or Twitter. “Heart” got a new officially application in the OED, as a verb denoted by the symbol “?.” (As in, “I ? bubble tea.”) LOL was added as being “strongly associated with the language of electronic communications,” and defined as “laughing out loud,” beating earlier incarnations. (The term apparently used to mean “little old lady,” and has caused some confusion in standing in for “lots of love”- as in, “sorry your grandma died in a fiery plane crash, LOL.”)

“Muffin top” also made the cut, as well as “FYI,” a term generally associated with workplaces and dating back about seventy years from the first known use. You can read the full list of updates here- do you think this sort of thing is technology and language intersecting intuitively, or is internet culture degrading the language?

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