Lolz

Part of speech: noun, interjection

Definitions

1. Informal internet slang used to show that something is funny, or to express laughter, often written as a playful variant of LOL
2. A casual online expression of amusement, typed to signal laughter or to say that a message or situation is entertaining
3. Playful web slang for laughing out loud, or for fun and amusement, used in texts, posts and chats to lighten the tone

Etymology: "Lolz" is a playful corruption of "lol," the internet abbreviation for "laughing out loud," and it is best understood as a deliberate joke about grammar. Its maker took an interjection, a word that expresses a reaction rather than naming a thing, and treated it as a noun that could be counted and pluralized. Adding a plural "-z" ending mimics the spelling habits of online gaming and messaging culture, where letters are swapped for shapes and sounds, and the "z" signals that the writer is being tongue-in-cheek. The likely source of "lol" itself is "leet," the hacker and gamer slang that replaces letters with look-alike numbers or symbols and spells words in unconventional ways. The -z ending follows the same spirit: it makes a familiar abbreviation look like a playful, slightly mangled plural, which is exactly what makes it feel like a joke. The result is an abbreviation that has itself become a little abbreviated, its meaning stretched into a different part of speech.