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The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is the most comprehensive dictionary of the English language. It traces the development of English from approximately 1150 AD up to the present day, showing not only the current meanings of words, but also earlier meanings. Entries contain detailed etymological analysis, and are illustrated by quotations from a wide range of English language sources from around the world, making the OED a unique historical record. The OED is intended to be descriptive, not prescriptive. The OED Online contains the full text of the 20-volume Second Edition (1989), and the 3-volume Additions series (1993 and 1997). The OED is currently being revised, with the aim of producing a completely updated third edition by the year 2010. Results from searches of the Dictionary text are therefore presented in two sets, one consisting of Second Edition results (including results from the Additions volumes) and the other consisting of New (Third) Edition results. The first set contains a complete A to Z sequence of entries, while the second is incomplete, but growing every quarter.

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