CHAPTER 12 - How to Trace Literary Information. V

Abstract

This chapter discusses dictionaries and guides to the English language and specialized subjects. Dictionaries classified in the 400 Class are of value not only for ascertaining the exact meaning of words but also for their derivation and, in some cases, for actual quotations illustrating the evolution of the meaning of words. The Oxford English Dictionary (1888–1928) in 10 volumes with its Supplement (1933) is the largest English dictionary. It aims at supplying an adequate account of the meaning, origin, and history of English words in general use or known to have been in use at any time during the last 700 years. Words that were obsolete before 1150 are not included. Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language, 2nd edition (1954), is in two volumes, but it contains more words than any other English dictionary—around 550,000. The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 3rd edition (1955), revised and edited by C. T. Onions, is an abridgement of the Oxford English Dictionary plus addenda of over 2000 entries.