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“OED Revision”
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Release notes: IGN-
A verdict of ignoramus The word ignoramus is today most familiar to us as a way to describe a stupid or ignorant person; however, the word has its origins in…
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OED100: Revising Function Words in the OED
Function words are the words that enable language to operate, rather like the gears in a machine. Typically they don’t have a referential meaning of their own but connect together…
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OED March revision update: just what the doctor ordered
This quarter’s OED update includes a revised entry for doctor. The word today immediately brings to mind white coats and stethoscopes, but the early history of the word had more…
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OED100: The OED in 2022
2028 will mark the centenary of completion of OED’s First Edition. In the run-up to that milestone, the OED team is undertaking a series of projects (collectively named OED100) designed…
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From the humble chip to the finest flour: an update on etymology
Among the words in this latest quarterly release there are quite a few etymologies of common words with long histories in English. Among those that date back to the earliest…
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Tracking the history of the future through words
A historical lexicographer’s perspective on reviewing the OED’s coverage of vocabulary relating to climate change and sustainability. In 2021, the OED embarked on a project to broaden and review its…
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The language of climate change and environmental sustainability: the OED October 2021 update
Over the course of the last 30 years or so, the OED’s editors have researched and recorded many of the best-known terms related to climate change, such as global warming,…
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Whoop-de-do! It’s the OED September 2021 update
Whooooooo-eeeee, it’s update time again. We’re coming in hot with over 837 new entries and senses to the definitive record of the English language, and there’s a lot to take…
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Working some lexicographical magic: the revision of witch
As we move from summer to autumn and Halloween appears on the horizon, it is apt that a number of the words for the latest OED Online quarterly release have…
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Malignant monsters and the limbo in the HTOED
Please note that a subscription to the OED is required to access the Historical Thesaurus . Learn about subscription options, or, if your library or institution offers access to the…
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