Behind the Dictionary

Lexicographers Talk About Language

Inside the OED, Part 2: Expanding Electronically

Last week in part one of our interview with Oxford English Dictionary editor at large Jesse Sheidlower, we talked about the OED's century-and-a-half reliance on volunteer readers to help gather historical citations — a practice now trendily called "crowdsourcing." This week we delve into how the OED has adapted to the digital age through the creation of the online edition, which includes the entire text of the 20-volume print edition as well as all the newly revised material for the planned Third Edition. It's an unprecedented electronic undertaking, but some worry that it presages the end of the print OED.
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Part one of our three-part interview with the OED's Jesse Sheidlower.
"Subprime" has entered the OED, but its history may surprise you.
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