The Merriam-Webster English Dictionary
The 1913 Webster's dictionary used in Accordance is not reliable for today's English speaking world.
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Please reply back with a specific version and publisher info of a volume you'd like to see.
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It's the Collegiate 11th edition (2019); ISBN: 978-0877798095; it's published by Merriam-Webster.
Fred
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The main advantage of the Webster 1913 dictionary is not for 21st century English, but for those of us reading English works from the 18th,19th and early 20th century. Shorter modern English dictionaries often do not go into earlier meanings of a word. It is best to have both old and new dictionaries to deal with language changes of meaning. If only subscriptions to the Oxford English Dictionary could be low cost so that we had affordable access to the much larger story of change in the meanings of common words.
--Joseph the Word Sleuth
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Alfred Tomek Thanks for the feedback. Solly Great pointers!
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L offers the Concise OED, which might be a good compromise in Accordance versus multiple dictionaries covering different eras. Here's the details for the latest edition available from Amazon:
- Title: Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 12th Edition
- Publication date: August 1, 2011
- Publisher: Oxford University Press
- ISBN-13: 978-0199601080
- Retail price: $32.48
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Yes indeed. We definitely don't want the “new” included at the expense of the “old” for precisely the reasons you clearly stated, both should be there. When it comes to definitions, I find myself seeking out the Merriam-Webster more frequently than others because, in my opinion, it tends to have more complete definition information. The Oxford etymology component is great but it's something that is secondary to me - not really interested as a general sentiment when it comes to seeking out definitions in today's world.
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Thanks for the feedback on the OED! If we do produce a new dictionary, we will not quit offering the older dictionary. We would offer both.
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