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Online Etymology Dictionary

 

 
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Online Etymology Dictionary
 
 
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The Online Etymology Dictionary is a dictionary
Dictionary

A dictionary is a book of Alphabetical order listed words in a specific language, with definitions, etymologies, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of alphabetically listed words in one language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon....
 that describes the origins of
Etymology

Etymology is the study of the roots and history of words; and how their form and meaning have changed over time.In languages with a long detailed history, etymology makes use of philology, the study of how words change from culture to culture over time....
 English language words. The abbreviation, OED
OED (disambiguation)

OED stands for* Oxford English Dictionary* Office of Enrollment & Discipline* Operations Evaluation Department* Online Etymology Dictionary...
, coincides with the frequently used acronym for the Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary

The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press , is a comprehensive dictionary of the English language. Two fully-bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989; as of December 2008 the dictionary's current editors have completed a quarter of the third edition....
, a coincidence unlikely to be lost on etymologists.

las Harper originally created the online dictionary as a website where he could share some information on books and writers. Since then it has evolved into the etymology dictionary.






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Encyclopedia


The Online Etymology Dictionary is a dictionary
Dictionary

A dictionary is a book of Alphabetical order listed words in a specific language, with definitions, etymologies, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of alphabetically listed words in one language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon....
 that describes the origins of
Etymology

Etymology is the study of the roots and history of words; and how their form and meaning have changed over time.In languages with a long detailed history, etymology makes use of philology, the study of how words change from culture to culture over time....
 English language words. The abbreviation, OED
OED (disambiguation)

OED stands for* Oxford English Dictionary* Office of Enrollment & Discipline* Operations Evaluation Department* Online Etymology Dictionary...
, coincides with the frequently used acronym for the Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary

The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press , is a comprehensive dictionary of the English language. Two fully-bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989; as of December 2008 the dictionary's current editors have completed a quarter of the third edition....
, a coincidence unlikely to be lost on etymologists.

Description

Douglas Harper originally created the online dictionary as a website where he could share some information on books and writers. Since then it has evolved into the etymology dictionary. Harper says that it has become a site for people "...who are curious about what sort of no-life obsessive-compulsive would do something like that." The dictionary uses the "history and evolution of more than 30,000 words, including slang and technical terms." It is described on its home page as:

Reviews and reputation

The Online Etymology Dictionary has been referenced by the University of Ohio's Library as an etymological resource and cited in the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune

"The Trib" redirects here. For other newspapers with similar names, see Tribune The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company....
 as one of the “best resources for finding just the right word.” It is used by many etymologists and is cited in numerous articles as a reliable source for explaining the history and evolution of words. Worldstart.com describes that “...this site is all about a love of language, and will teach you how it all began for each word.”

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