Dictionary editors say ‘twerking’ goes back almost 200 years

LONDON (AP) – Twerking may be older than you think.

The provocative dance that gained global fame thanks to an attention-grabbing performance by Miley Cyrus has been admitted to the venerable Oxford English Dictionary and lexicographers say its origins go back almost 200 years.

The dictionary now describes twerking as dancing “in a sexually provocative manner, using thrusting movements of the bottom and hips while in a low, squatting stance.”

It had previously listed the word, but then to refer to a twisting or jerking movement or twitch. Researchers found it had been used with that meaning already in 1820.

Senior editor Fiona McPherson on Thursday called revelations about the word’s roots “quite spectacular.”

She said the word as a dance has its roots in the 1990s New Orleans music scene.