The verb 'tweet' , as used in the microblogging social network Twitter, has just been accepted by the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), considered the most scholarly and comprehensive dictionary in the English language. The new edition of the OED, which was released last Friday after its quarterly renewal, defines 'tweet' as "posting a message on the social network Twitter" or also "using Twitter regularly." And, of course, it also retains its old meaning when referring to a bird: "to communicate something with a short, high-pitched sound or call, or with a series of sounds."
"This breaks an OED rule that says a new word has to be used for 10 years before considering inclusion, " British dictionary editor and lexicographer John Simpson explained in a press release.
