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English 340
Spring 2007
MacDonald/Reid
OED Assignment
The Oxford English Dictionary not only defines words, but gives information on their
earliest appearances in the English language, and allows its users to develop a sense of
how their definitions may have changed over time.
For this assignment, you’ll be doing a little exploration in the OED and writing a short
paper (one and a half to two pages) that discusses your findings.
First, look through our first three plays: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Richard II, and
Titus Andronicus, and choose a total of two words that are unfamiliar to you; or, find two
words from each play whose meaning has changed over time; or, find two words that are
part of modern English, but whose meanings may have changed since Shakespeare’s
time. (For the latter two options, you’ll need to be willing to check several words before
you settle on your two.) Look up your two words in the OED. Start by paying attention
to the context in which your words appear. What do they mean where they are used?
What are the other possible Renaissance meanings of the word that the dictionary lists?
How do some of these other meanings affect your sense of what the passage could mean?
Have your words changed meaning over time? What do they now mean that they didn’t
mean in Shakespeare’s day (or vice-versa)?
To access the OED, go to the Young Library home page. In the upper left corner, you’ll
find a tab that reads “Selected Databases”. Scroll down to the Oxford English Dictionary
here. Once you’re at the database, plug your word into the “Find Word” box and start
looking. Check what parts of speech the word can fill, and be sure to look under each part
for its spelling variations, its etymology, quotations using the word in each of its senses,
and the date chart (all these tabs are at the top of the page). Gather as much information
as you can, and apply it to your discussion of your words and their meanings,
If you’ll be accessing the OED from off-campus, make sure your web browser (Safari,
Firefox, Internet Explorer, etc.), is set up to use the library proxy server: go to
<http://www.uky.edu/Libraries/page.php?lweb_id=16> for instructions.
The OED assignment is due in class on Feb. 13.