Webster's New World Dictionary has long been the go-to in terms of defining the meaning of words.  In recent years they have included new additions such as tweet and unfriend.

The courts have often had a difficult time keeping up with the ever-evolving English language.

This has left judges and lawyers scratching their heads.  That was the case, according to those working in the legal field, until they discovered Urban Dictionary.

Many dictionaries do not have entries for words such as twerking, which is defined as being the booty-shaking dance frequently used by Beyonce; or YOLO, an acronym which means You Only Live Once.

Urban Dictionary is a living, almost breathing online entity.  The website was reportedly created by a college freshman more than a decade ago. It contains entries for every slang word you can imagine, and many that you never knew existed.

Urban Dictionary users have the ability to "rate" working definitions and can add definitions of their own.  In addition, they can also enter new words that are up for consideration.  If an unnamed panel of judges approves the word, it's added to the online collection.

In May of this year an Urban Dictionary expert was called in to testify in a case that had found itself in the hands of an appeals court. The primary issue was a convicted robber had allegedly referred to him and his friends as "jack boys".

Although jack boys is not a common slang term, "jack" is.  It is commonly associated with the act of stealing, theft, or the unlawful taking of another person's property.  In that context, the phrase "jack boys" started to make a lot more sense.

The legal system has used Urban Dictionary countless times in recent years.

The website has been used to clarify any number of terms such as iron, which is slang for handgun and dap, which is a term used to describe the act of two friends bumping fists.   At the same time, educators warn that the site is not without its limits.

Others say it is an inexpensive resource that the legal system can use in order to gain clarity within a case.

To date, approximately 2.3 million words are defined on the website.  Approximately 33,000 are added every month.

It receives more than 110 million page views each month and is ranked as the 77th largest website in the nation.