2011-09-29

Publication dates for the parts of the OED

The Oxford English Dictionary has had three editions:
  • the original edition, published in twelve volumes from 1888 to 1928, and known retrospectively as OED1
  • the OED2, consisting of a supplement published in four volumes from 1972 to 1986 (there was a 1933 supplement to OED1 too, but it was superseded by the four-volume supplement so I'm ignoring it here) and merged with the text of OED1 in 1989, after which two volumes of new words and senses were published in 1993 and one more in 1997
  • the OED3, currently in progress and being published online only.
When you look at the online version, each page is marked OED2 or OED3, but since the supplement only included new words and meanings of words since OED1, many of the so-called OED2 pages are really unmodified OED1. What is more, the OED1 volumes were published in installments called fascicles, and very little revision was done before the fascicles were merged into volumes.

So here's a table of when the various fascicles, volumes, and editions were published, so that you can find out, at least probably if not definitively, the true age of an OED definition. Unless otherwise noted, all the entries are OED1.  Note that the fascicles weren't necessarily published exactly in alphabetical order, because several editors worked on the project simultaneously.

Words includedDate (YYYY-MM-DD format)
A-Ant1884-01
Ant-Batten1885-11
Batter-Boz1887-03
Bra-Byz1888-06
A-B volume1888
C-Cass1888-06
Cast-Clivy1889-11
Clo-Consigner1891-10
Consignant-Crouching1893-05
Crouchmas-Czech1893-11
C volume1893
D-Deceit1894-11
Deceit-Deject1894-12
Deject-Depravation1895-06
Depravative-Development1895-12
Development-Diffluency1895-12
Diffluent-Disburden1896-06
Disburdened-Disobservant1896-09
Disobstetricate-Distrustful1896-12
Distrustfully-Doom1897-03
Doom-Dziggetai1897-06
E-Every1891-07
Everybody-Ezod1894-03
D-E volume1897
F-Fang1894-11
Fanged-Fee1895-04
Fee-Field1895-09
Field-Fish1896-03
Fish-Flexuose1896-09
Flexuosity-Foister1897-03
Foisty-Frankish1897-10
Frank-law-Gain-coming1898-01
Gain-cope-Germanizing1898-01
Germano-Glass-cloth1899-03
Glass-coach-Graded1900-01
Gradeley-Greement1900-07
Green-Gyzzarn1900-12
F-G volume1900
H-Haversian1898-03
Haversine-Heel1898-06
Heel-Hod1898-12
Hod-Horizontal1899-03
Horizontality-Hywe1899-06
I-In1899-10
In-Inferred1900-03
Inferring-Inpushing1900-07
Input-Invalid1900-10
Invalid-Jew1900-12
Jew-Kairine1901-06
Kaiser-Kyx1901-10
H-K volume1901
L-Lap1901-03
Lap-Leisurely1902-01
Leisureness-Lief1902-03
Leif-Lock1903-01
Lock-Lyyn1903-10
M-Mandragon1904-10
Mandragora-Matter1905-07
Matter-Mesnalty1906-03
Mesne-Misbirth1906-12
Misbode-Monopoly1907-06
Monopoly-Movement1908-03
Movement-Myz1908-09
N-Niche1906-09
Niche-Nywe1907-09
L-N volume1908
O-Onomastic1902-07
Onomastical-Outing1903-03
Outjet-Ozyat1904-01
P-Pargeted1904-03
Pargeter-Pennached1904-12
Pennage-Pfennig1905-09
Ph-Piper1906-06
Piper-Polygenistic1907-03
Polygenous-Premious1907-12
Premisal-Prophesier1908-12
Prophesy-Pyxis1909-09
O-P volume1909
Q1902-10
R-Reactive1903-07
Reactively-Ree1904-07
Ree-Reign1905-03
Reign-Reserve1906-01
Reserve-Ribaldously1908-06
Ribaldric-Romanite1909-03
Romanity-Roundness1909-12
Round-nose-Ryze1910-03
S-Sauce1909-06
Sauce-alone-Scouring1910-06
Scouring-Sedum1911-03
See-Senatory1911-12
Senatory-Several1912-09-30
Several-Shaster1913-06-13
Shastri-Shyster1914-03-26
Q-Sh volume1914
Si-Simple1910-12
Simple-Sleep1911-09
Sleep-Sniggle1912-06-27
Sniggle-Sorrow1913-03-27
Sorrow-Speech1914-09-28
Speech-Spring1915-03-25
Spring-Standard1915-09-30
Standard-Stead1915-06-29
Stead-Stillatim1916-06-29
Stillation-Stratum1917-12-06
Stratus-Styx1919-09-04
Si-St volume1919
Su-Subterraneous1914-12-22
Subterraneously-Sullen1915-12-21
Sullen-Supple1917-01-18
Supple-Sweep1913-03-21
Sweep-Szmikite1919-09-04
T-Tealt1910-09
Team-Tezkere1911-06
Th-Thyzle1912-03-29
Su-Th volume1919
Ti-Tombac1912-12-23
Tombal-Trahysh1913-09-25
Traik-Trinity1914-06-24
Trink-Turn-down1915-06-24
Turndun-Tzirid1916-03-27
U-Unforeseeable1921-10-06
Unforeseeing-Unright1924-07-31
Unright-Uzzle1926-07-29
Ti-U volume1926
V-Verificative1916-10-26
Verificatory-Visor1917-08-30
Visor-Vywer1920-04-01
W-Wash1921-10-06
Wash-Wavy1923-05-24
Wavy-Wezzon1926-08-12
Wh-Whisking1923-05-17
Whisky-Wilfullness1924-11-27
Wilga-Wise1926-08-12
Wise-Wyzen1928-04-19
XYZ1921-10-06
V-Z volume1928
OED1 in full (12 vols.)1928
Supplement A-G1972
Supplement H-N1976
Supplement O-Sd1982
Supplement Sea-Z1986
OED2 in full (20 vols.)1989
OED2 Supplement vols. 1-21993
OED2 supplement vol. 31997
OED3in progress

1 comment:

Brunellus said...

Thanks very much for this – most helpful.