Citing Articles

MLA Example: "plough, n.2" Oxford English Dictionary. Ed. J. A. Simpson and E. S. C. Weiner. 2nd ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989. OED Online. Babson College Horn Lib., Babson Park, MA. 14 June 2002 <http://dictionary.oed.com/>. For additional MLA examples, see http://www.mla.org.

Basic Steps

Click on Enter OED Online icon on left side of screen Type the word you would like to define in the upper right-hand box Click on the Find Word icon to the right of the box An alphabetical word list containing the chosen word appears on the left side of screen and the main entry appears to the right To search for another word in the dictionary, simply enter that word into the box at the top right-hand corner of the screen and click on the Find Word icon Use the "*" and "?" wildcards when unsure of the word's exact spelling (i.e. archipel?go or archip* for archipelago)

Advanced Search Tips
 

Search By Language Origin Click on Simple Search in bottom of screen. Type in language name like Algon* in input box and click on etymology box. Searching for a language name in etymologies will find references to that language, but does not mean that it will be in all cases the actual language of origin of the words found. Full Text Searching: Switch to Full Text search mode by clicking on the Search icon at the base of screen The Full Text search panel displays on the left-hand side of the main window Type the word or phrase you want to find into the Search For box Choose your search area (i.e. full text, definitions, etymologies, and quotations) Click the Find Word icon Phrase Searching: Switch to Full Text search mode by clicking on the Search icon at the base of screen The Full Text search panel displays on the left-hand side of the main window Type the full phrase into the top input box (i.e. let sleeping dogs lie) Choose your search area Click the Find Word icon Proximity Searching: Switch to Full Text search mode by clicking on the Search icon at the base of screen Type the first word you want to find into the Search For box Choose your search area (Note that the selected area applies to both search items) Click the More Options icon to reveal proximity search options Type in your second term Choose the maximum number of words by which you want your terms to be separated Choose whether you want to search your first term before or after your second term, or both, and click the appropriate radio button Click the Start Search icon

Viewing, Printing & Saving Options

To View: Use the icons at the top of the screen to add or take away various elements of the word entry (i.e. etymology, date chart, pronunciation) To view another word on the list, simply click on that word To Print: Make sure the entry or the page of results you want is displayed Click the Print icon at the bottom right-hand corner of the page The entry or page of results is displayed in printable format Click the Print icon from your web browser To E-Mail: You can e-mail any entry to any person, regardless of whether they subscribe to the OED or not Open the entry to which you want to link Fill in the form which appears using your e-mail address, the recipient's address as well as any message you would like to send Click the Mail icon at the bottom left-hand side of the page A confirmation page should appear The link is available for three days

Scope

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is a historical dictionary of English, covering the language from the earliest times to the present day. It aims to show not only the current meanings of words, but also to trace their development through time. 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.

Access Restrictions:	Students, faculty, staff and Walk-in Alumni and visitors may use.
Years of Coverage:	Current edition, contains etymology back to first known occurrence of usage.
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Updated November 1, 2005 By  Kate Buckley