John Simpson, the chief editor of the OED, said that it seems that many of the
words had been around for years, but they are only included when their use is widespread.
"We wait for things to be used regularly in the
language for 10 years before we put them in," he said.
So now the Oxford English Dictionary includes such words as "babe" (a
term of endearment), "brain candy" (undemanding entertainment which is not intellectually stimulating), "urb" (a shortened version of "urban"), "crystal methamphetamine" (a psychostimulant, drug) etc.
Growing profound concerns over climate change are reflected in a number of words including "environmentally unfriendly" (harmful to the environment) and "green fuel" (biofuel).
Besides that "OMG," "LOL" and the
symbol for "heart" have all been added to the Oxford English Dictionary Online.
