Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Authoritative and up to date, this eleventh edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary contains over 240,000 words, phrases, and definitions, including 900 new words. It offers rich vocabulary coverage, with full treatment of World English, rare, historical, and archaic terms, as well as scientific and technical vocabulary, and provides hundreds of helpful notes on grammar and usage.New to this edition is a fascinating Word Histories feature, telling the often bizarre stories of the origins and development of 100s of words. For example, did you know that the word grammar is related to glamour, or that cockney used to mean a spoilt child? This dictionary contains full appendices on topics such as alphabets, currencies, electronic English, and the registers of language, from formal to slang, plus a useful Guide to Good English with advice on grammar, punctuation, and spelling. This new edition replaces ISBNs 0-19-860572-2 and 0-19-860636-2.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Preface
• Introduction
• Guide to the Use of the dictionary
• Abbreviations used in the dictionary
• Note on trademarks and proprietary status
• Concise Oxford English Dictionary
• Appendix 1 Countries of the World
• Appendix 2 Prime Ministers and Presidents
• Appendix 3 Kings and Queens of England and the United Kingdom
• Appendix 4 Weights, Measures, and Notation
• Appendix 5 Chemical Elements
• Appendix 6 The Greek Alphabet
• Appendix 7 The Solar System
• Appendix 8 Collective Nouns
• Appendix 9 Types of Language
• Appendix 10 English in Electronic Communication
• Appendix 11 Guide to Good English

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

This mini-version of a giant known as the OED claims to pack the authority of the original into a handy size ideal for use in schools, offices, and at home. Perhaps a bit far-fetched but pretty darn close. Has your computer been infected with spyware? This concise OED, which lists a total of 240,000 words and phrases, explains in English as spoken in North America, Australia, West India, and the British Isles, that spyware is "a software that enables a user to obtain covert information about someone's computer activities." Other up-to-the-minute additions (which total 1700) include punditocracy, sky marshals, and plasma screens (for a complete list of new words, go to http://www.askoxford.com). Other novelties include new appendixes, an improved layout that makes browsing easier, and stories of the origins and development of hundreds of words. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

Like its predecessors stretching back to 1911, this modestly redesigned 11th edition represents excellent value in a no-nonsense approach to definitions and etymology. It dispenses with illustrative quotations and historical background, but gives the century of origin and minimal etymology where relevant, along with concise definitions of important senses. Its many labels such as "formal," "dated," "Brit," and "archaic" should be useful to students tempted by thesauri to use words like "mayhap" in papers. The 240,000 words and phrases include many scientific and technical terms, and should satisfy a wide range of users. There are now many variations on the theme of an abridged OED, such as the The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (CH, Apr'94), some available on CD-ROM or online as well as in print, and all based on the same computer database. This volume includes new words through much of 2004, and libraries should have it, but individuals can be content if they own some other recent iteration of OED. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. All collections. W. Miller Florida Atlantic University