Research Guides: *English Literature*: English Dictionaries

English Dictionaries: General & Historical

Oxford English Dictionary
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Unsurpassed as a scholarly dictionary of the English language, the OED is based on historical principles, that is, it shows not only etymologies but charts changes of meaning over time. It does so by making extensive use of illustrative quotations. Refer to the OED for questions regarding an author's probable intended use of a word or about a word's derivation.

Middle English compendium
Middle English dictionary
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English-Old English, Old English-English dictionary
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Dictionaries: American English

A dictionary of American English on historical principles
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Craigie uses the lexicographical model of the OED.
Dictionary of American Regional English
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A dictionary of slang and unconventional English
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- See also Robert L. Chapman's Dictionary of American Slang or Clarence Major, Juba to Jive: A Dictionary of African-American Slang. A much-lauded work-in-progress, Historical Dictionary of American Slang, promises to become the standard in the field.

Dictionaries: British Isles

The Oxford English Dictionary is the most comprehensive dictionary for the vocabulary of the British Isles. The following resources, however, provide specific and/or comparative information on British English.

British English, A to Zed
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Divided by a common language: a guide to British and American English
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Slanguage: a dictionary of slang and colloquial English in Ireland
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Dictionary of the Scots Language

Dictionaries: Australia & New Zealand

The Australian national dictionary: a dictionary of Australianisms on historical principles
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The New Zealand Oxford dictionary
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Dictionaries: Anglo-Indian

Hobson-Jobson: The Definitive Glossary of British India
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- Earlier editions also available.
Sahibs, nabobs, and boxwallahs, a dictionary of the words of Anglo-Indian
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Dictionaries: Canadian English

A Dictionary of Canadianisms on historical principles: dictionary of Canadian English
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Canadian Oxford dictionary
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2nd ed. (2004)
The Canadian Oxford dictionary
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Dictionaries: Carribean Area

Dictionary of Caribbean English usage
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Dictionaries: South African English

A Dictionary of South African English on historical principles
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English Language History

A Companion to the History of the English Language
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ISBN: 9781405129923
Publication Date: 2008-08-11
"An accessible reference to the history of the English language. Comprises more than sixty essays written by leading international scholars. Aids literature students in incorporating language study into their work. Includes an historical survey of the English language, from its Germanic and Indo-European beginnings to modern British and American English Enriched with maps, diagrams, and illustrations from historical publications.
Inventing English by Seth Lerer
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ISBN: 9780231137942
Publication Date: 2007-04-10
Why is there such a striking difference between English spelling and English pronunciation? How did our seemingly relatively simple grammar rules develop? What are the origins of regional dialect, literary language, and everyday speech, and what do they have to do with you? Seth Lerer's Inventing English is a masterful, engaging history of the English language from the age of Beowulf to the rap of Eminem.