What A Word Means?

How do you know what a word means?


We don't always! Lexicographers generally have wide vocabularies and fairly good general knowledge, but none of us is familiar with all of the words that we deal with. We discover the meaning of the word by looking at our databases and files of language and by consulting reference works.


Dictionaries are descriptive, not prescriptive. In other words, when defining a word we combine our understanding of how it is used in the language with an analysis of resources such as the Oxford English Corpus and the Oxford Reading Programme. This should result in a definition of how a word is actually used rather than how we think it should be used.


For scientific and technical terms we make use of our well-stocked library or the Internet or consult a colleague with specialist knowledge.


Related Links:


• Is there An Official Committee which regulates the English language?
• Do you include words used on the Internet?
• Are Lexicographers good spellers?
• Are Dictionaries really necessary?
• Are dictionaries always in Alphabetical Order?
• What is a Dictionary?

• What are the Oxford Dictionary?
• Are other languages recorded in huge Multi-Volume Dictionaries?
• Do Dictionary-Makers ever make mistakes?
• What is the chronology of events relevant to the history of the OED?
• How can I access Dictionary Online?

• How do you decide What To Include in a dictionary?
• How do you decide If a New Word should go in an Oxford Dictionary?
• Will the Dictionary-Makers put MY NEW WORD into their dictionaries?
• How will be a Dictionary In 2050?
• How has Computer Technology affected dictionary-making?

• How do you know what a word means?
• Dictionaries have changed over the years. How?
• When will the Third Edition of the OED be published?
• What skills and talents does a Lexicographer need?
• How will The Revision affect the size of the OED?