LONDON – OMG! The exclamatory online abbreviation has won the approval of the Oxford English Dictionary.

The term — short for "Oh my God" or "Oh my gosh" — is one of dozens of new entries in the authoritative reference book's latest online update.

Other Internet-inspired expressions given the stamp of approval include LOL, "laughing out loud"; IMHO, "in my humble opinion"; and BFF, "best friends forever."

Dictionary compilers said that although the terms are associated with modern electronic communications, some are surprisingly old. The first confirmed use of "OMG" was in a letter in 1917.

"Things people think are new words normally have a longer history," Graeme Diamond, the dictionary's principal editor for new words, said Friday. Read more.

Other surprising entries include the word "heart" as a verb, which will greatly please DFO, and "muffin top" which I doubt will please anyone, much. How often do you use terms like LOL, IMHO or BFF?

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