locution

lo·cu·tion

/ləˈkyo͞oSH(ə)n/

noun: locution plural noun: locutions

1. A word or phrase, especially with regard to style or idiom.

2. An utterance regarded in terms of its intrinsic meaning or reference, as distinct from its function or purpose in context.

Although “LOL” is internet slang for “laughing out loud”, it has become an actual locution among the teenage girls in our school.