At one time there were two different approaches to dictionaries. Most dictionaries are the same when it comes to content, but each publisher may choose different information to include or change the way in which it is organized. Keep in mind though that Merriam, Random House, American Heritage, Oxford, and all the rest are the names of publishers and it means that the dictionary is published by that company. The American Heritage Dictionary is among the most used overall and is geared more toward adults and college students. Random House is also used often in high schools. Merriam Webster is probably the most common version for children. ![]() Webster actually refers to the style of the dictionary and means it is based on the original set of dictionaries published by Noah Webster. If you are simply referring to which dictionary sells the most copies, it would probably be one the Webster's dictionaries. "The greatest work in dictionary making ever undertaken.It depends on what you mean by most used. ![]() "The greatest work in dictionary making ever undertaken.- The New York Times" "It is a remarkable work of scholarship, and must rank high among the wonders of the world of learning.- The Times Educational Supplement" "The greatest dictionary in any language.- The Telegraph" "The greatest dictionary ever compiled.- Sunday Telegraph" "The gigantic total picture of the English language.an epic achievement.- The Observer" The vast storehouse of the words and phrases that constitute the vocabulary of the English-speaking people is the ultimate authority on the English language as well as a history of English speech and thought from its infancy to the present day.- The Times" "The Oxford English Dictionary is more than a national monument to lexicography. "The greatest treasure of words all the raw material a writer needs for a lifetime of work.- Annie Proulx" I could not have become a writer without it.- Anthony Burgess" "The OED has been to me a teacher, a companion, a source of endless discovery. Subscriptions are available to OED online on an individual or institutional basis. ![]() Other features distinguishing the entries in the Dictionary are authoritative definitions detailed information on pronunciation using the International Phonetic Alphabet listings of variant spellings used throughout each word's history extensive treatment of etymology and details of area of usage and of any regional characteristics.Īlongside the print edition is the Oxford English Dictionary Online (Updated quarterly, this award-winning online resource allows the Dictionary to evolve with the English language while the print edition remains as a historical record. ![]() The quotations are drawn from a huge variety of sources worldwide - literary, scholarly, technical, and popular - and represent authors as disparate as Geoffrey Chaucer and Erica Jong, William Shakespeare, Charles Darwin and Isabella Beeton. Accompanying each definition is a chronologically arranged group of quotations that trace the usage of words, and show the contexts in which they can be used. It traces the usage of words through 2.4 million quotations from a wide range of international English language sources. The 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary is the accepted authority on the evolution of the English language over the last millennium.
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