Origins and meaning of 'LOL'

The now widely used word "Lol" was formed the English abbreviation LOL, which means “laughing out loud”. This term first became widely disseminated in English-speaking societies and global network forums, before it spread to other social network users around the world. Let us find out the origin of this internet term.


The origin of LOL and its use

It was first mentioned on Usenet, and quickly became a very popular acronym among internet users worldwide. Nowadays, it has become a part of other forms of computer-mediated communications and even in real life communication. It is one of many initials for expressing bodily reactions, especially hearty laughter.


Every year the use of this abbreviation seems to grow amongst users of the internet. According to research conducted in 2003 and 2008, the use of the word "Lol" has doubled. It has become so popular that in May 2011, Oxford dictionary, which is the most famous and popular English academic dictionary, added it in its list of different word combinations.


General use of the term

Initially, "Lol" was used to express loud laughter; but as at today, the abbreviation is connected with even more users that it has somehow come to mean so many things besides laughter. The present internet users use "Lol" to represent a smile or a loud laugh, as well as sarcasm.


Some people use Lol as an insult. Perhaps this trend came from the abbreviation of phrases like "Loser Of Losers" or "Lamer On-Line". The word "Lal" is considered the same as "Lol". The designation "Lulz" can also be attributed to the abbreviation Lol, but it only means a joke or an anecdote, but not an expression of any emotion or laughter.

READ ALSO:Top 10 funny Nigerian memes


Analogues and other alternatives for LOL

There are many alternatives to the acronym Lol amongst English speaking internet users. Abbreviations like Lawl or Lal have no actual full meaning but are warped spellings of the “laughing out loud” acronym. The different versions of Lol used by English-speaking societies include:

ROTFL or ROFL
LMAO
ROFLMAO
ROFLOL
lolw00t or LOLWUT
ROFLMAOL
ROFLPIMP
ROFLMFAOSTC
LSHMSFOAIDMT, MDR

The most popular variations of the word "Lol" are ROTFL and LMAO. The first example is interpreted as “Rolling on the floor laughing”. The second popular analog "Lol" is an abbreviation of the phrase "Laughing my a*s off". Other varieties of the word form "Lol", except lolw00t or LOLWUT and MDR, are a combination of 3 abbreviations - Lol, ROFL, LMAO. The LOLWUT is an expansion of LOL and is used to express extreme bewilderment at an action or fact. MDR is the French "Lol", which means Mort de rire — “to die of laughter”.


There are a lot of other versions of LOL. Some dark-minded people think that this acronym has a long and dark history, and have a very sinister transcription — “Lucifer our Lord”. But we have to say that this interpretation has nothing in common with the original meaning of LOL. So, if you do not want to seem like the devil’s servant, use this word only with positive intentions.