The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (2 Vol. Set; Thumb Indexed Edition)

About this book

For the past sixty-five years the massive Oxford English Dictionary has offered the last word on the English language. Now Oxford University Press is pleased to announce a landmark new dictionary--The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary--that brings the authority of the Oxford Dictionary Department and the vast scholarship of the OED itself within the reach of individuals. This completely new dictionary covers virtually every word or phrase in use in English--worldwide--since 1700. Not strictly an abridgment of the OED the New Shorter draws on the OEDs ongoing revision as well as its own independent research program. Each entry provides all the information you would expect from a leading unabridged dictionary: it identifies each words various meanings origins part of speech pronunciation (in the International Phonetic Alphabet) and combinations in which the word is often found as well as cross-references to related words. The New Shorter however offers something that no competitor can match: the historical literary approach made justly famous by the OED. Thousands upon thousands of changing meanings are followed through history illustrated by more than 83 000 quotations from Ben Franklin to Lord Byron from Jane Austen to Kazuo Ishiguro. The changing emphasis in the meaning of fiend for instance is shown by quotes ranging from Milton ("The Gates...belching outrageous flame...since the Fiend passd through") to J.D. Salinger ("Old Brossard was a bridge fiend and he started looking around the dorm for a game"). The historical approach of The New Shorter offers a true feel for our rich subtly textured language. Words are a palimpsest: along with their current meanings many words contain the shadows of their past definitions. Understanding a words history can help writers and speakers charge their language with nuance as well as precision. The New Shorter offers a delightful introduction to the fruits of etymology providing a fascinating guide to the evolution of language--for both scholars and those who need a practical aid to contemporary usage. In addition The New Shorter offers truly international--and up-to-date--coverage. Every year the Oxford Dictionary Department receives more than 200 000 notices of new words and meanings. These notices come from the United States Great Britain Australia Canada South Africa India--everywhere English is spoken. As a result this two-volume work boasts an unprecedented range of headwords and meanings drawn from the arts and humanities as well as the sciences and technology. From molecular biology to computer software from human anthropology to theoretical physics the subjects covered in this dictionary make it a useful resource for scientific professionals--and for the unscientific struggling with technical terms. The result is the worlds most comprehensive thorough up-to-date dictionary of English. A fascinating and endlessly browsable reference The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary provides the definitive resource for scholars professionals general readers--for anyone in fact who wants the wealth of language available only in an unabridged dictionary. FEATURES: BL The immense scholarship of the Oxford English Dictionary-- Brought within reach of everyone: 2 Volumes 500 000 definitions 7.5 million words 4 000 pages 97 600 headwords 25 250 variant spellings 87 400 illustrative quotations 7 333 sources of quotations (including 5 519 individual authors) BL Combines information from the OED with the work of a massive research project offering thousands of fresh entries and new definitions BL Up-to-the-minute coverage of English--reaching back to 1700--with thousands of new words from a worldwide monitoring program BL Thorough completely current scientific coverage BL Traces the etymology and evolution of thousands of worlds (candidate for instance stems from a Latin word meaning "clothed un white " as Roman candidates for public office dressed in white togas) BL A two convenient volumes with full-size type