Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary covers words from across the English-speaking world, from North America to South Africa, from Australia and New Zealand to the Caribbean. It is a guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of over half a million words, both present and past. It traces the usage of words through 2.5 million quotations from a wide range of international English language sources, from classic literature and specialist periodicals to film scripts and cookery books.
OED Online offers:
- Access to the 20-volume Second Edition and 3 Additions series volumes and the quarterly updates.
- Extensive search options enabling users to answer the following questions in seconds...
- What was the original meaning of the adjective NICE? (foolish!)
- When was the first recorded use of MOBILE PHONE? (1945)
- What is a ROBOT in South Africa? (Traffic signal)
- Which band, according to the OED, invented COOL BRITANNIA, and when? (Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, 1967)
- How many English words have a Hindi origin? (469 as at February 2006)
- "Beware the jubjub bird" is a quote from which book? (Through the Looking Glass)
OED Online is also a crossword solvers' dream! Not only is it the biggest dictionary of English in the world, it is possible to search for words with wildcards (missing letters can be denoted with a ?), and to search for words on the basis of their definitions. Find out about wildcard searches.
Further information...
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