The Making of the Oxford English Dictionary

April 30, 2023

A Historic Speech at the London Library

On Guy Fawkes Day, 1857, Richard Chenevix delivered a speech at the London Library. This speech marked the beginning of a journey into the world of dictionaries. It was a two-part lecture focusing on dictionaries as "an inventory of the language," rather than a strict guide to proper usage.

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) embarked on a remarkable journey. Its mission was to tell the history of meaning and the life story of each word. Chenevix emphasized reading and quoting sources that documented the history of words. To help, he recruited a team of unpaid amateurs as volunteers.

The formal starting point for this monumental task is often recognized as January 7, 1858. However, it wasn't until 1928 that the OED was finally completed.

The Process Behind the Oxford English Dictionary

The creation of the Oxford English Dictionary required rigorous efforts. The team depended heavily on gathering quotations from various published works. These quotes illustrated how words were used across time and highlighted their subtle changes in meaning, spelling, and pronunciation. Most critically, they demonstrated when each word entered the English language.

Editors of the Oxford English Dictionary

The OED had several notable editors during its creation:

Herbert Coleridge was the first editor. Unfortunately, he passed away at only thirty-one after just two years of work, leaving many tasks unfinished.

Frederick Furnivall took over after Coleridge's death. His tenure was challenging as numerous editors and publishers refused to work with him. As time passed, many volunteers lost interest, and progress slowed.

Eventually, Oxford proposed that James Murray might be the right man for the job. On April 26, 1878, Murray had his first meeting with the Delegates. By March 1, 1879, the document was formally agreed upon, designating him as the editor on behalf of the Philological Society of London. To facilitate the work, Murray built a corrugated iron shed dubbed the Scriptorium.

James Murray

The Role of Volunteers

Recognizing the need for more help, James Murray published a four-page appeal aimed at the English-speaking public. He sought a fresh corps of volunteers eager to contribute. These individuals were encouraged to write to the society, offering their assistance in reading specific books.

Each volunteer had a clear task. They would note the target word in the top-left corner of a slip of paper. Below that, they would include the date, title of the book or paper, its volume and page number, and finally, the full sentence illustrating the word's use.

William Minor's Contributions

One significant volunteer was William Minor. He saw the invitation to contribute as a long-awaited opportunity to rejoin the society to which he had previously belonged. Minor needed something valuable to do and found purpose in this monumental project.

He effectively created a "Victorian word-Rolodex," which functioned as a dictionary within a dictionary. His contributions were invaluable. Minor would first write to the dictionary, inquiring about which letter or word was being worked on. His efforts were deemed "second only to the contribution of Dr. Fitzward Hall."

Originally, this great undertaking was called A New English Dictionary of Historical Principles. However, it soon became colloquially known as the "big dictionary." This work represented a democratic product, illustrating the idea of individual freedoms. It showed that one could freely use words without rigid, inflexible rules.

The Final Outcome

The Oxford English Dictionary ended up as a massive work. It spanned twelve mighty volumes and defined 414,825 unique words. To support the definitions, an impressive 1,827,306 illustrative quotations were included.

One of the key principles in the OED was that no words used in the definitions were more complicated or less likely to be understood than the word being defined. Furthermore, every term in the definitions could be found elsewhere in the dictionary.

The Oxford English Dictionary remains a testament to the power of collective effort and the richness of the English language. As a primary resource, it continues to serve linguists, writers, and anyone who loves language. The creation of the OED transformed the landscape of English dictionaries forever.

In summary, the making of the Oxford English Dictionary is a remarkable story of passion, community, and dedication to preserving the richness of the English language.