What is the Oxford English Dictionary?
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) was born in 1857 when the Philological Society of London determined that a substantial and thorough dictionary of the English language did not exist. The Society decided to set to work on a historical dictionary which would trace the roots of the English language, and include archaic words and meanings which were no longer in use. The project, today known as the OED, is widely recognized as the most comprehensive English dictionary in existence.