Poetry in the Oxford English Dictionary: A Quantitative Profile

Abstract

This chapter analyses the background data of various editions of the Oxford English Dictionary in order to give a quantitative profile of the contribution of English poetry to the composition of the OED. In so doing, I attempt to disentangle as best as possible the three forces that shaped this relationship: the development of the English language, English textual production and its culture(s), and the practice of Oxford’s lexicographers.