Overview

The 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary is the accepted authority on the evolution of the English language over the last millennium. It traces the usage of words through 2.4 million quotations from a wide range of international English language sources. The OED has a unique historical focus. Accompanying each definition is a chronologically arranged group of quotations that trace the usage of words, and show the contexts in which they can be used. The quotations are drawn from a huge variety of sources worldwide - literary, scholarly, technical, and popular - and represent authors as disparate as Geoffrey Chaucer and Erica Jong, William Shakespeare, Charles Darwin and Isabella Beeton. Other features distinguishing the entries in the Dictionary are authoritative definitions; detailed information on pronunciation using the International Phonetic Alphabet; listings of variant spellings used throughout each word's history; extensive treatment of etymology; and details of area of usage and of any regional characteristics. Alongside the print edition is the Oxford English Dictionary Online (www.oed.com). Updated quarterly, this award-winning online resource allows the Dictionary to evolve with the English language while the print edition remains as a historical record. Subscriptions are available to OED online on an individual or institutional basis. Visit www.oup.com/online/oed/ for details.

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9780198611868

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Reviews

The OED has been to me a teacher, a companion, a source of endless discovery. I could not have become a writer without it.-- Anthony Burgess The greatest treasure of wordsall the raw material a writer needs for a lifetime of work.-- Annie Proulx The Oxford English Dictionary is more than a national monument to lexicography. The vast storehouse of the words and phrases that constitute the vocabulary of the English-speaking people is the ultimate authority on the English language as well as a history of English speech and thought from its infancy to the present day.-- The Times The gigantic total picture of the English languagean epic achievement.-- The Observer The greatest dictionary ever compiled.-- Sunday Telegraph The greatest dictionary in any language.-- The Telegraph It is a remarkable work of scholarship, and must rank high among the wonders of the world of learning.-- The Times Educational Supplement The greatest work in dictionary making ever undertaken.-- The New York Times

An obvious choice, maybe, but probably not for the most obvious reason. When I am writing my own books on the origins of well-known phrases and sayings, I always check to see what the OED has to say. Usually, I hunt about first in the cd-rom version because of the speed with which words and phrases can be located. Then I turn to the 20 hardback volumes for a more leisurely read. But my chief interest in the OED lies in its rich store of citations. These provide a fascinating indication of when and how a word or phrase has first been found in the language. It is certainly the finest dictionary in the world. (Kirkus UK)

Author Information

J. A. Simpson worked on the Supplement to the Oxford English Dictionary and prepared the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs, which was published in 1982. E. S. C. Weiner also served on the editorial staff of the Supplement and compiled the Oxford Guide to English Usage, which was published in 1983.

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