‘Twerking’ makes the Oxford dictionary

If you were scandalized by Miley Cyrus’ performance Sunday at the VMAs, get ready to have your shock codified in the English language.

Oxford Dictionaries Online has formally announced that it’s adding “twerking” as the newest verb to its ledger, as part of its quarterly update to its online resources.

The formal definition? “Twerk, v.: dance to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving thrusting hip movements and a low, squatting stance.”

MTV VMAs 2013: Show Highlights | Best & Worst

It joins other pop-culture effluvia like “selfie,” “derp,” “digital diet” and “Bitcoin” as new additions to the palette of modern language in the online edition.

“Twerking” hasn’t made the venerable Oxford English Dictionary print edition yet. That’s a privilege reserved for more established turns of phrase.

But nothing is more ratchet than making the cut at the formal registry of how we speak English, so congratulations are due all around, we suppose. Good work, Anglophone nations. Good work.

ALSO:

FYF 2013: Jonathan Richman makes Sunday funday

Grand Theft Auto V music tracklist, stations revealed

FYF 2013: Making space for other kinds of electronic music