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A Word a Day Keeps the Vocabulary Doldrums Away

Although not everyone has the 550 clams necessary for the year-long subscription to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) online, anyone can point his or her browser to the OED's free Word of the Day site. Here, at the Web home of the grandest compendium of words ever assembled by English-speaking humans, you can return every day to be enlightened, reminded, or corrected. Definitions, however, are only the beginning. The site offers easy navigation to all known spellings, past and present, complete etymology, quotations using the word in question, and even plots instances of usage and quotations on a timeline for you. Needless to say, the word changes every day, and every day that I have returned I have been pleasantly surprised to find more or less obscure words. OED has featured words to use in conversation to impress your friends, as well as words we all know. A must-bookmark for all book, literature, and word fans!

Thu, 06 Apr 2000 06:48:27 -0700