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...
- Find out more about OED Online
- Take the OED tour
- Search OED's comprehensive help
- Try OED's really useful tutorial searches
Start Searching
To log in: please enter your library card number (in full, with no spaces)
NB. If your card number begins with 00 (double zero), please add 20112 in front of your number (no spaces)
