Oxford English Dictionary Online

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Maria Zijlstra: The Oxford English Dictionary went online a decade ago and was relaunched last week, so ...

Oxford English Dictionary Online 1

More than a historical dictionary… over 500,000 entries… 3.5 million quotations … over 1000 years of English The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is widely regarded as the accepted authority on the English language. It is an unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and usage of 500,000 words and phrases past and present, from across the English-speaking world. As a historical dictionary ...

Oxford English Dictionary Online 2

The Oxford English Dictionary is a comprehensive historical dictionary that aims to document the English language in all its varieties from the eleventh century to the present day. OED entries describe the origin, meaning, and history of each word by analyzing evidence of usage from the earliest known to the most recent. An OED entry is like a biography of a word, with senses ordered ...

Oxford English Dictionary Online 3

The Oxford English Dictionary is a living document that has been growing and changing for over a century and a half. Far more than a convenient place to look up words and their origins, the Oxford English Dictionary is an irreplaceable part of English culture.

Dive into our interactive resources to learn more about the Oxford English Dictionary and uncover the rich history and usage of 500,000 words and phrases past and present, from across the English-speaking world.

Place names in the Oxford English Dictionary For a historical dictionary like the OED there is the task of tracing the origin and development of each name, a specialist endeavour involving detailed local knowledge, access to unpublished documents, and extensive fieldwork.