Concept

Oxford English Dictionary

Overview

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which began publication in 1884, traces the historical development of the English language, providing a comprehensive resource to scholars and academic researchers, and provides ongoing descriptions of English language usage in its variations around the world.

Work began on the dictionary in 1857, although publication did not commence until 1884. The work then began to be issued incrementally in unbound fascicles (instalments), as work continued on other parts of the project. The original title was A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles; Founded Mainly on the Materials Collected by The Philological Society. In 1895, the title The Oxford English Dictionary was first used unofficially on the covers of the series, and in 1928 the full dictionary was republished in 10 bound volumes.

In 1933, the title The Oxford English Dictionary fully replaced the former name in all occurrences in its reprinting as 12 volumes with a one-volume supplement. More supplements came over the years until 1989, when the second edition was published, comprising 21,728 pages in 20 volumes. Since 2000, compilation of a third edition of the dictionary has been underway, approximately half of which was complete by 2018.

In 1988, the first electronic version of the dictionary was made available, and the online version has been available since 2000. By April 2014, it was receiving over two million visits per month. The third edition of the dictionary is expected to be available exclusively in electronic form; the CEO of OUP has stated that it is unlikely that it will ever be printed.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).

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This was the rule for all classes; as it now is the rule, unluckily, for only one class. The Working Man as yet sought only to know his craft; and educated himself sufficiently by ploughing and hammering, under the conditions given, and in fit relation to the persons given: a course of education, then as now and ever, really opulent in manful culture and instruction to him; teaching him many solid virtues, and most…
Thomas Carlyle, Latter-Day Pamphlets
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Title-page of the Altar Service used at the Coronation of King George V, 1911 _Page 57_ Title-page of David Wilkins’s Coptic New Testament, published in 1716 _Page 60_ The Bombay Branch _Facing 66_ The Toronto Branch _” 67_ The Melbourne Branch _” 68_ The South African Branch _” 69_ The New York Branch _” 70_ Show Rooms at the New York Branch _” 71_ Title-page of _Shakespeare’s England_, published in 1916 _Page 79_…
Oxford University Press, Some Account of the Oxford University Press, 1468-1921
Names Oxford English Dictionary.
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The hands of forgotten brave men have made it a World for us; they,--honour to them; they, in _spite_ of the idle and the dastard. This English Land, here and now, is the summary of what was found of wise, and noble, and accordant with God's Truth, in all the generations of English Men. Our English Speech is speakable because there were Hero-Poets of our blood and lineage; speakable in proportion to the number of…
Thomas Carlyle, Past and Present Thomas Carlyle's Collected Works, Vol. XIII.
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Oxford English Dictionary

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