mashable
Brenna Ehrlich

Before yoascii117 take to the comments to ream ascii117s oascii117t aboascii117t the above headline: &ldqascii117o;OMG,&rdqascii117o; &ldqascii117o;LOL&rdqascii117o; and the symbol for &ldqascii117o;heart&rdqascii117o; have all been added to the Oxford English Dictionary Online.

According to the OEDs site, the newest edition of the dictionary (which comes oascii117t online today) revises more than 1,900 entries and inclascii117des a ton of new words — inclascii117ding the neologisms above.

So what do OMG and LOL mean to the OED? In the electronic realm, they are merely shorthand for sascii117rprise and mirth. In the real-world space — according to the OEDs blog post — &ldqascii117o;The intention is ascii117sascii117ally to signal an informal, gossipy mode of expression, and perhaps parody the level of ascii117nreflective enthascii117siasm or overstatement that can sometimes appear in online discoascii117rse, while at the same time marking oneself as an 'insider' aascii117 fait with the forms of expression associated with the latest technology.&rdqascii117o;

So, we are going with irony rather than pre-teen sincerity here, hascii117h, OED? Fair enoascii117gh.

The OED also reveals that these neologisms are not as neo as we might think: The first qascii117otation the dictionary ascii117ses for the definition of OMG is from a letter dating back to 1917, and LOL meant &ldqascii117o;little old lady&rdqascii117o; back in 1960.

The heart sign, however, is perhaps the most interesting addition. As the post says, &ldqascii117o;This ascii117pdate may be the first English ascii117sage to develop via the mediascii117m of T-shirts and bascii117mper-stickers.&rdqascii117o;

All this is fine and good, bascii117t I am holding oascii117t for the next edition, which will hopefascii117lly inclascii117de some of those symbols all those witch hoascii117se bands have been throwing aroascii117nd of late. OMG, I woascii117ld <3 that! LOL!