subtee
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This might bore many or even most of you to tears, but it is, after all, words that we exchange here. Indeed, it seems to me many of the disagreements, arguments, brawls, donnybrooks, ruckuses, feuds, disputes, squabbles, debates, spats, clashes, bickers, quarrels, tiffs, altercations, flaps, wrangles, fracases, embroilments and differences of opinion ~breath~ usually boil down (or up) to the semantic, respective—if not always respected—understanding (by me) or misapprehension (by you) of the meanings of words, according to each earnest poster.
Our exchanges are heated, engaging, smart, infuriating, interesting, funny, pathetic, ironic, meaningful, emotive, visionary, commiserating, foolish, passionate and, let’s face it, for the most part they are the extent of the interaction and connection with one another almost all of us will ever enjoy. So let’s do. Enjoy….the words. Happy Birthday, OED:
On this day in 1884, the first portion, or fascicle, of the Oxford
English Dictionary (OED), considered the most comprehensive and
accurate dictionary of the English language, is published. Today, the
OED is the definitive authority on the meaning, pronunciation and
history of over half a million words, past and present
Plans for the dictionary began in 1857 when members of London's
Philological Society, who believed there were no up-to-date,
error-free English dictionaries available, decided to produce one that
would cover all vocabulary from the Anglo-Saxon period (1150 A.D.) to
the present. Conceived of as a four-volume, 6,400-page work, it was
estimated the project would take 10 years to finish. In fact, it took
over 40 years until the 125th and final fascicle was published in
April 1928 and the full dictionary was complete--at over 400,000 words
and phrases in 10 volumes--and published under the title A New English
Dictionary on Historical Principles.
Unlike most English dictionaries, which only list present-day common
meanings, the OED provides a detailed chronological history for every
word and phrase, citing quotations from a wide range of sources,
including classic literature and cookbooks. The OED is famous for its
lengthy cross-references and etymologies. The verb "set" merits the
OED's longest entry, at approximately 60,000 words and detailing over
430 uses.
No sooner was the OED finished than editors began updating it. A
supplement, containing new entries and revisions, was published in
1933 and the original dictionary was reprinted in 12 volumes and
officially renamed the Oxford English Dictionary.
Between 1972 and 1986, an updated 4-volume supplement was published,
with new terms from the continually evolving English language plus
more words and phrases from North America, Australia, the Caribbean,
New Zealand, South Africa and South Asia.
In 1984, Oxford University Press embarked on a five-year,
multi-million-dollar project to create an electronic version of the
dictionary. The effort required 120 people just to type the pages from
the print edition and 50 proofreaders to check their work. In 1992, a
CD-ROM version of the dictionary was released, making it much easier
to search and retrieve information.
Today, the dictionary's second edition is available online to
subscribers and is updated quarterly with over 1,000 new entries and
revisions. At a whopping 20 volumes weighing over 137 pounds, it would
reportedly take one person 120 years to type all 59 million words in
the OED.
Cite/site: www.history.com
_____________________________
Don't believe everything you think...
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Nerd Alert: Happy B-Day OED - 
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