Miley Cyrus VMAs 2013: 'Twerking' Added To Oxford Dictionary

While "Twerking" has been a thing at least since the formation of 2 Live Crew and was in regular use by the time Ying Yang Twins released "Whistle Why You Twurk" in 2000, it took Miley Cyrus' recent actions on social media and the 2013 MTV VMAs to bring the dance to mainstream (read: white) attention. With the recent surge in the terms usage "Twerk" and all its tenses (twerked, twerking) have been added to the Oxford dictionary (more specifically the Oxford Dictionaries Online).

"There are many theories about the origin of this word, and since it arose in oral use, we may never know the answer for sure,"Oxford Dictionary's Katherine Connor Martin told AllHipHop. "We think the most likely theory is that it is an alteration of work, because that word has a history of being used in similar ways, with dancers being encouraged to 'work it.' The 't' could be a result of blending with another word such as twist or twitch." 

Here's the definition:

twerk (v.): to dance to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving thrusting hip movements and a low, squatting stance

I feel it should be noted that what Miley is doing is not, and has never been, twerking. Even in her now infamous unicorn onesie video Miley is wopping, the dance associated with the song that is playing: J Dash's "Wop." 

It's not like it was hidden, it takes two seconds of thought or research. But it was twerk's moment to shine and to avoid using the word would remove you from the cultural conversation. It's just kinda strange, is all.