Concise Oxford English Dictionary
Encyclopedia
The Concise Oxford English Dictionary (officially titled The Concise Oxford Dictionary until 2002, and widely abbreviated COD) is probably the best-known of the 'smaller' Oxford dictionaries
. The latest edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary contains over 240,000 entries and 1,728 pages (concise only compared to the OED at over 21,000 pages). Its eleventh edition, originally published in 2004, is used by the United Nations
as the current authority for spellings in documents written in the English language
for international use. It is available for free on the web and as an electronic eBook for a variety of handheld device
platforms. In addition to providing information for general use, it documents local variations such as U.S.
and U.K.
usage.
It was started as a derivative of the Oxford English Dictionary
(OED), although section S–Z had to be written before the Oxford English Dictionary reached that stage. However, the latest (eleventh) edition was based on the Oxford Dictionary of English
(also known as the NODE) rather than the OED.
Until 2000, it was the dictionary used on the game show Countdown
.
Dictionary
A dictionary is a collection of words in one or more specific languages, often listed alphabetically, with usage information, definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon...
. The latest edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary contains over 240,000 entries and 1,728 pages (concise only compared to the OED at over 21,000 pages). Its eleventh edition, originally published in 2004, is used by the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
as the current authority for spellings in documents written in the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
for international use. It is available for free on the web and as an electronic eBook for a variety of handheld device
Handheld device
A mobile device is a small, hand-held computing device, typically having a display screen with touch input and/or a miniature keyboard and less than . Early pocket sized ones were joined in the late 2000s by larger but otherwise similar tablet computers...
platforms. In addition to providing information for general use, it documents local variations such as U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and U.K.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
usage.
It was started as a derivative of the Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
(OED), although section S–Z had to be written before the Oxford English Dictionary reached that stage. However, the latest (eleventh) edition was based on the Oxford Dictionary of English
Oxford Dictionary of English
The Oxford Dictionary of English is a single-volume English language dictionary first published in 1998 by Oxford University Press. This dictionary is not based on the Oxford English Dictionary and should not be mistaken for a new or updated version of the OED...
(also known as the NODE) rather than the OED.
Until 2000, it was the dictionary used on the game show Countdown
Countdown (game show)
Countdown is a British game show involving word and number puzzles. It is produced by ITV Studios and broadcast on Channel 4. It is presented by Jeff Stelling, assisted by Rachel Riley, with regular lexicographer Susie Dent. It was the first programme to be aired on Channel 4, and over sixty-five...
.
Editions
- First Edition (1911): The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English, adapted by H. W. Fowler and F. G. Fowler ... from the Oxford Dictionary. (They wrote the last section S–Z before the Oxford English Dictionary had reached that stage.)
- Second Edition (1929): The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English H. W. FowlerHenry Watson FowlerHenry Watson Fowler was an English schoolmaster, lexicographer and commentator on the usage of the English language...
alone (his brother had died in 1918, although his name is still on the title page). - Third Edition: (1934) was revised by H. W. Fowler and H. G. Le Mesurier.
- Fourth (1951) and Fifth (1964) Editions were revised by E. McIntosh, who introduced the space-saving swung dash that stands for the headword. The title page still read The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English; but the description read 'edited by H. W. Fowler and F. G. Fowler; based on the Oxford dictionary'.
- Sixth (1976) and Seventh (1982) Editions were still called The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English, but the subtitle now read based on the Oxford English dictionary and its supplementsOxford English DictionaryThe Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
first edited by H.W. Fowler and F.G. Fowler. It was (thoroughly) edited by J.B. Sykes, catching up with the developments in the parent dictionary. In the Seventh Edition, symbols were introduced to mark uses considered controversial or offensive. - Eighth Edition (1990): The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English, first edited by H. W. Fowler and F. G. Fowler was edited by Robert E. Allen. Being computerComputerA computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
-based, this edition changed the original structure to a large extent. - Ninth Edition (1995) was edited by Della Thompson.
- Tenth Edition (1999, revised 2001) became The Concise Oxford Dictionary. It was edited by Judy Pearsall. Rather than being a direct revision of the ninth edition, it was based on the larger New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998), which Pearsall had edited. Its compilation had involved a re-analysis of much of the core vocabulary using the British National CorpusBritish National CorpusThe British National Corpus is a 100-million-word text corpus of samples of written and spoken English from a wide range of sources. It was compiled as a general corpus in the field of corpus linguistics...
. The tenth edition was also issued as an electronic resource, as a computer optical disc.
- This edition was to be the last Concise Oxford Dictionary to be used on CountdownCountdown (game show)Countdown is a British game show involving word and number puzzles. It is produced by ITV Studios and broadcast on Channel 4. It is presented by Jeff Stelling, assisted by Rachel Riley, with regular lexicographer Susie Dent. It was the first programme to be aired on Channel 4, and over sixty-five...
, as contestant Helen Wrigglesworth declared ROADSIDE and it was declared illegal. After further inspection from Mark NymanMark NymanMark Nyman is a Scrabble player originally from London, England now resident in Cheshire. At the end of2002, he was rated 205 and was top-ranked in the ABSP ratings. As at October 14th 2010 he is rated 208...
, the dictionary was found to not have any compound words in it, and was thus abandoned and the show reverted to the 9th edition.
- Eleventh Edition (2004, revised 2006, 2008 and 2009), the Concise Oxford English Dictionary was edited by Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson. It is based on the Oxford Dictionary of EnglishOxford Dictionary of EnglishThe Oxford Dictionary of English is a single-volume English language dictionary first published in 1998 by Oxford University Press. This dictionary is not based on the Oxford English Dictionary and should not be mistaken for a new or updated version of the OED...
(second edition (2003), which Soanes and Stevenson had edited). The Eleventh Edition is available on CD-ROM as an electronic e-Book for a variety of platforms.
2009 Revised 11th Edition
- Title: "Concise Oxford English Dictionary: Luxury Edition, 11th edition, revised 2009"
- ISBN-13 978-0199558452
- Publisher: Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
- Place: OxfordOxfordThe city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
- Date: 9 July 2009
See also
- Compact Oxford English Dictionary of Current EnglishCompact Oxford English Dictionary of Current EnglishThe Compact Oxford English Dictionary of Current English is a one-volume dictionary published by Oxford University Press. It is intended for a family or upper secondary school readership...
– a smaller one-volume Oxford dictionary - Shorter Oxford English DictionaryShorter Oxford English DictionaryThe Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, often abbreviated to SOED, is a scaled-down version of the Oxford English Dictionary . It comprises two volumes rather than the twenty needed for the full second edition of the OED...
– a larger two-volume Oxford dictionary