To the astonishment of many, the words “twerk” and “selfie” have recently been added to the Oxford Dictionary. However, what many people don’t know is that these words have not been added to the Oxford English Dictionary, but rather the Oxford Dictionaries Online, although both are published by the Oxford University Press.
The official definition of “twerk” as entered in the dictionary is “to dance to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving thrusting hip movements and a low, squatting stance.” According to the new entry, the word originated in the 90s and has example sentences listed as, “Just wait till they catch their daughters twerking to this song,” and, “Twerk it girl, work it girl.”
“Selfie” was also added to Oxford Dictionaries Online, with the definition being, “A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.”
In previous years, additional words such as “OMG,” “LOL,” “mankini,” “jeggings” and “sexting” have also been added to the dictionary. Needless to say, there are bound to be more similarly viral words added in the future, as social media and online lingo is constantly evolving and changing.
