The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (2 Vol. Set; Thumb Indexed Edition)

This abridged edition of the Oxford English Dictionary contains 220,000 entries, and illustrates definitions with quotations which show precisely how the meanings of words have changed over the centuries. Each entry provides a wealth of information, including history and meaning, pronunciation, etymology, definitions, variant spellings, irregular inflections, quotations, idiomatic phrases and a record of the word's use.