The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on CD-ROM

About this product

Please note: this software was written and designed before 64-bit operating systems (OS) were introduced. If you are running a 64-bit OS, such as a 64-bit version of Windows Vista or Windows 7, this software may not function. Please note that suppliers do not accept returns of sealed software that has been opened, and NHBS can therefore not refund such items. If in doubt, please contact customer services or the software supplier to enquire after compatibility before purchasing this item.

The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on CD-ROM features the full text of the Sixth Edition of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, which is a complete update of this unique reference work. Based on the 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary, the 'Shorter' contains an incredible one-third of the coverage of the Oxford English Dictionary, is just one-tenth of the size, and includes all words in current English from 1700 to the present day, with senses organized chronologically, plus the vocabulary of Shakespeare, the Bible and other major works in English from before 1700.

The CD-ROM is designed to run on both Windows and Apple Macintosh computers. With an elegant interface providing quick and intutitive searching, it also has advanced searching facilities for in-depth exploration, allowing searching of the definitions, eytmologies, subject, geographical region of use, register, and source language, as well as the ability to limit searches by the date of a word's first recorded usage. There is also an automatic look-up facility; by double-clicking on a word in a document or web page the user can view the entry for that word. Sound recordings enable you to listen to standard British pronunciations for over 100,000 words. In addition it features a crossword puzzle solver and anagram solver.

The new edition of the CD-ROM is designed to benefit all users. It supports screen reader software and can be controlled solely from the keyboard for the convenience of users who prefer not to use a mouse. It offers a simple and attractive interface which is fully customizable, making it easy to change the text size, fonts, and the color of both text and background.

The CD-ROM also offers all of the exciting updates made to the dictionary text. It features a new introductory essay by language expert David Crystal on the History of English, includes 2,500 new words and senses, plus thousands of antedatings of existing words, drawing on the huge ongoing research project for the Oxford English Dictionary and the wealth of information on language in use provided by the Oxford English Corpus. In addition, the work includes many new quotations from recent authors, and a complete review of spelling forms and defining vocabulary, making it the most authoritative reference work available for both modern and historical English.

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