Gender-neutral prefix 'Mx' added to Oxford English Dictionary

MANILA, Philippines — Oxford English Dictionary has officially added 'Mx," an honorific which may be used by those who do not wish to identify their gender, into its lexicon.

The Oxford Dictionary defines 'Mx' as:

A title used before a person’s surname or full name by those who wish to avoid specifying their gender or by those who prefer not to identify themselves as male or female.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Jonathan Dent, assistant editor of dictionary said the gender-neutral prefix is an example of  "how the English language adapts to people’s needs, with people using language in ways that suit them rather than letting language dictate identity to them."

This major shift seen in Western language, however, is not new in some parts of the world. In the UK, for example, many government and private organizations have been using it since the 1980s. The Royal Bank of Scotland also had been using the term since last year.