According to Oxford dictionary editors, its origins go back almost 200 years.
The provocative dance gained global fame thanks to an attention-grabbing performance byMiley Cyrus.
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.”
OED had previously listed the word, but it was referred to a twisting or jerking movement or twitch.
Researchers found it used as a noun with that meaning in 1820, spelt “twirk.” It became a verb by 1848, and the “twerk” spelling was popularly used by 1901.
