Oxford English Dictionary Adds “<3"

In a move that will surely be heralded by at least someone as a sign of the decline of modern civilization and/or the English language, the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has added the graphic symbol for a heart. Now, should we write that as “<3” or “♥”? The entry in the OED, which is about as close to a complete authority on the English language as you can get, lists the word with “heart” as a verb meaning “to love.”

Of course, “<3” is not the only modern term being added to the venerable OED. The Daily Mail reports that such entries include:

wags (as in ‘wives and girlfriends’) and muffin top (‘a protuberance of flesh above the waistband of a tight pair of trousers’. […] ‘tinfoil hat’ – a reference to a type of headwear believed by some to protect the wearer from mind control or surveillance – and ‘scrunchy’, an adjective describing a wrinkled appearance.

This is still the first time that a purely graphic symbol has been added to the OED.

(The Daily Mail via The Village Voice)