( also the OED )
a very large historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press . It is one of the most famous dictionaries in the world, well known for including many different meanings of words, and for giving real examples to show how each word was originally used and how its meaning has changed through time. Work on it began in 1858 and the final volume (= separate book) was published in 1928. The second edition, with many new words, was published in 1989. The work of adding to the dictionary continues and OED Online is published regularly on the Internet.
See also Murray (II).