London, August 25 (ANI): OMG - short for 'oh my God' - has joined a whole raft of 'new' words said to be reflective of modern Britain to become immortalised in the latest edition of the Chambers Dictionary.
'OMG' is derived from text-speak but actually involves the same number of syllables to say out loud as the original version.
In a move, which may horrify traditionalists, the century-old reference guide has also adopted 'BFF', a term popularised by celebrity heiress Paris Hilton meaning 'best friend forever'.
A quarter of the new words are derived from the Internet - while others come from street slang, rap music and text speak.
Among the other gems to be found in its 12th edition are 'jeggings', a hybrid of jeans and leggings, and 'skank' - a rather impolite way of describing a loose woman.
And those bored of using the word 'mates' might consider 'bromance', the new trendy way of referring to friendship between men.
Editors believe the new word list provides a vivid portrait of the English language today - an assertion that may cause alarm to some.ne of the more bizarre 'additions' to the English language is 'meh', which is apparently now an official 'expression of indifference'.
There are also references to our global struggle with weight-gain - also known as 'globesity' - with the introduction of size 'XXL'.
David Swarbrick, managing director at Chambers, said many of the new words had been derived from youth culture," the Daily Mail quoted him as saying.
"I think young people are probably the most creative agents for new words because they're not held back by convention.
"Young people are the real artists of the language and a dictionary should reflect that," he added. (ANI)
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