An official definition for "hashtag" has been established by the Oxford English Dictionary. (SonOfErat, Wikimedia Commons)

hashtag n. - (on social media web sites and applications) a word or phrase preceded by a hash and used to identify messages relating to a specific topic; (also) the hash symbol itself, when used in this way. 

Hashtags originated on, and are chiefly associated with, the social networking service Twitter. 

The term already made its way into Merriam-Webster dictionary last month and Oxford’s own dictionary of current English four years ago. Its entry into the self-proclaimed “definitive record of the English language” reflects its longevity and solidifies its connections to its more historically grounded root word “hash.” 

“Selfie” earned a spot in the famous lexicon in 2013, when it was also declared Oxford Dictionaries’ Word Of the Year. 

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