Kory Stamper, Lexicographer, Class of 1996
Kory Stamper ’96 is an associate editor at Merriam-Webster and the author of Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries. As a result of her “Ask the Editor” videos and her popular blog Harmless Drudgery, The New York Times has deemed her “very much part of the vanguard of word-nerd celebrities.” A few years ago, while visiting Smith, she took some time to share her thoughts on some of her favorite—and not-so-favorite—words and definitions.
Watch the short VIDEO here!
The Great Dictionaries
Here is a selective, chronological list of dictionaries in which to look for the development of a word's meaning:
- Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language, vol. 1 This link leads to volume 1 of Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language. Full text courtesy of HathiTrust.
- Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language, vol. 2 This link leads to volume 2 of Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language. Full text courtesy of HathiTrust.
- A Dictionary of the English Language byCall Number: ref PE 1628 .J6Printed editions of Johnson's dictionary here at Smith include those from 1755 (2 vols.), 1777, 1799, and 1820. The two-volume 1755 edition is also available online via HathiTrust; see links below.
- Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia, Rev. ed., 1911 The 6-volume 1889 edition is in the stacks at Smith; the call number is PE 1625.C4 1889a, and it's on level A in the core (just as you come out of the main stairwell).Call Number: ref PE 1625 .C4 1911
- Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language, 2nd ed., 1955Call Number: ref PE 1625 .W3 1955(Older editions at Smith include 1828, 1829 [abridged], and 1841.)
- Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, 1981 byCall Number: ref PE 1625 .W36 1981
- The Random House Dictionary of the English languageCall Number: ref PE1625 .R3Editions at Smith College Libraries run from 1973 - 2005.
- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition (2000)Call Number: ref PE 1628 .A623 2000Smith also has Editions from 1969 (1st Ed.), 1992 (3rd Ed.) and 2011 (6th Ed.) Just search for "American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language" in the Five College Catalog under the "title" drop-down menu.
- Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language, 2nd ed., 1955Call Number: ref PE 1625 .W3 1955
- An American Dictionary of the English Language Abridged, 1829 by Noah WebsterCall Number: ref PE 1628 .W4 W9 1829
- An American Dictionary of the English Language, 1841 by Noah WebsterCall Number: ref PE 1625 .W3 1841
Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English DictionaryCall Number: ref PE 1625 .O87 1989All searches for the historical development of the meaning of words in the English language should begin with the Oxford English Dictionary. It is available in both print and electronic formats.
For a key to symbols and other conventions in the OED, use this site.
Overviews
- English Dictionaries, 800-1700 byCall Number: PE 1611.H84 1999Publication Date: 1999
- The Oxford History of English Lexicography byCall Number: PE 1611.O94 2009Publication Date: 2009Vol. 1 covers bilingual dictionaries. Vol. 2 gives a helpful overview of major specialized dictionaries, especially editions of Webster's dictionaries through the 1960's, and the OED.
- Ashgate Critical Essays on Early English LexicographersCall Number: PE 63.A84 2012Vol. 1. covers Old English
Vol. 2 covers Middle English
Vol. 3. covers the sixteenth century
Vol. 4. covers the seventeenth century
Vol. 5. covers the eighteenth century
Same Dictionary, Different Editions
One example of finding different editions of a dictionary:
- Go to the Five College Catalog
- Choose "Title" from the drop-down menu
- Enter "The Random House Dictionary of the English language" into the search box.
You will see various editions listed. Not all are available at Smith.