What is the Oxford English Dictionary?
Q: What is the Oxford English Dictionary?
A: The Oxford English Dictionary (or OED) is a dictionary published by the Oxford University Press in England. It traces the historical development of the English language and describes how it has been used.
Q: How many pages does the second edition have?
A: The second edition of the Oxford English Dictionary came to 21,728 pages in 20 volumes, published in 1989.
Q: How many main entries are there?
A: There are 231,100 main entries and 47,100 main entries for out-of-date words.
Q: When did work begin on the dictionary?
A: Work began on the dictionary in 1857.
Q: What was it called when it first started to be published?
A: When it first started to be published, it was called A New English Dictionary on historical principles; founded mainly on the materials collected by the Philological Society.
Q: When was The Oxford English Dictionary first used unofficially on its covers?
A: The title The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) was first used unofficially on its covers in 1895.
Q: When did an electronic version become available?
A: An electronic version of the dictionary became available in 1988 and an online version has been available since 2000.
