Book Description
The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary is the new standard reference work for modern English and its history.
The entirely new text draws on the acclaimed Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition, but also includes much new research. Entries span the general vocabulary of today's language together with thousands of slang, rare, and scientific and technical words. The Dictionary covers all varieties of English, both international and dialectal. Even obsolete words are included if they were still in use after 1700, or appear in Shakespeare. Importantly, the New Shorter also traces the history of
each word: different senses are listed chronologically, with datings for the first use of each. In addition, the use and development of words are shown through 83,000 quotations from 7,000 authors and other sources. The New Shorter will be the most important work of English lexicography of the 1990s. The dictionary is the result of the labour of a large team and programme of research over many years. It provides, for the general reader and language specialist alike, in an accessible and
convenient two-volume format, an authoritative and unrivalled portrait of the English language. Its principal features include:
More than half a million definitions
83,000 illustrative quotations from 7,000 authors
Senses listed chronolgocially and datings for first use of each sense
Up-to-date coverage of new words
Details of many rare and obsolete words
Extensive coverage of scientific and technical English
Pronunciation reflecting a new analysis of modern standard English
Extensive coverage of English from around the world
Detailed etymologies for all entries

Synopsis
This abridged edition of the "Oxford English Dictionary" contains 220,000 entries, and illustrates definitions with quotations which show precisely how the meanings of words have changed over the centuries. Each entry provides a wealth of information, including history and meaning, pronunciation, etymology, definitions, variant spellings, irregular inflections, quotations, idiomatic phrases and a record of the word's use.

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews   41 of 41 people found the following review helpful: A treasure for anyone who loves the English Language, 18 Dec 2000 By  Peter Fenelon - See all my reviews       The New Shorter OED is far more than a dictionary - it forms a living history of the English language, and shows how English has evolved from Shakespeare's times to the mid-90s. The dictionary is derived from the Second Edition of the OED, and manages to condense that vast work into something that can sit comfortably on your bookshelves without crowding everything else out. In these two volumes, totalling nearly 3800 pages, you'll find about half a million definitions - so it's almost guaranteed that you'll come across something fascinating, obscure or bizarre on almost every page. Although the Shorter OED is admirably suited to being used for serious work, it's also great fun - a quick consultation of it to look up a word can, if you have the time, often also turn into a couple of hours of browsing... and in my opinion, there can be no higher praise for a work of reference than that.