The Oxford English Dictionary

Initial Publications

The first volumes of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) were groundbreaking in their scope and ambition. Gary Arndt explains that the initial volumes covered letters A through E, with the project eventually producing 125 individual installments over 44 years 1. The dictionary's first complete edition was published in 1928, and a one-volume supplement followed in 1933, consolidating new words and meanings.

The entire dictionary was and is an expensive purchase. In 1971, they issued a two-volume edition of the book, where each page had nine pages of the previous edition in extremely tiny type. A magnifying glass was provided so you could actually read the text, and it became its best selling version.

--- Gary Arndt

The OED continued to expand, with supplements released in the 1970s and 1980s, leading to the creation of a second edition in 1989.

   

Digital Transition

The transition of the OED from print to digital marked a new era for the dictionary. Gary Arndt highlights the monumental task of digitizing 60 million words and 350 million characters, which involved 120 data entry personnel and 50 proofreaders 1. This effort culminated in the release of the second edition in 1989, followed by a CD-ROM version in 1992 and an online version in 2000.

The third edition is expected to be complete in the year 2037. It will approximately double the size of the dictionary. There are currently 600,000 entries in the Oxford English dictionary, with new entries being added every year.

--- Gary Arndt

The ongoing updates to the third edition ensure that the OED remains a living document, reflecting the ever-evolving nature of the English language.