Twerking – a provocative dance move favorable to America’s hip-hop scene – has officially gone mainstream. The eye-popping rump gyrations have recently created enough buzz to be added to Oxford English Dictionaries under the entry: “Twerk, verb.”
Oxford Dictionaries’ spokeswoman Katherin Connor Martin said the word “twerk” has been around for 20 years, but – thanks to pop star Miley Cyrus hitting headlines this week for “twerking” at the MTV Video Music Awards – the move has generated enough evidence of usage to be added to its online dictionaries.
“The current public reaction to twerking is reminiscent in some ways of how the twisting craze was regarded in the early 1960s, when it was first popularized by Chubby Checker’s song, “The Twist,” said Connor Martin.
“Only time will tell if twerking will similarly be embraced by the general public.”
“Twerk” will be added to the dictionary as part of its quarterly update, which includes words such as “selfie,” the word used to describe pouty self-portraits.
ODO’s definitions:
“Twerk, v.: dance to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving thrusting hip movements and a low, squatting stance.”
“Selfie, n. (informal): a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.”
