This Day in History: , Oxford Dictionary Debuts.<br />February 1, 1884.<br />The first portion, or fascicle, of the <br />Oxford English Dictionary (OED) <br />is published.<br />The OED is considered the most<br />comprehensive and accurate dictionary of the English language, providing a detailed chronological history <br />for every word and phrase.<br />Plans for the dictionary <br />were conceived by members of <br />London’s Philological Society in 1857.<br />Estimated as a 10-year project, <br />it took over 40 years until the <br />125th fascicle was published in 1928 <br />and the full dictionary was complete.<br />Its 20 volumes weigh over <br />137 pounds, and would take one <br />person 120 years to type <br />all 59 million words.<br />Today, the dictionary’s second edition <br />is available online to subscribers and <br />is updated quarterly with over 1,000 <br />new entries and revisions
