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Help with using OED Online

What do the buttons mean?

Find Word frame

Illustration of Find Word search box

Type the word you want to find into the input box and press the Return key or click [Perform the Find word search]

This performs a search for the word in the Dictionary's list of headwords and subordinate entries.

Lost for words? Get an entry

Get an OED entry chosen at random.

Header frame: entry display

Go to earlier version of entry View Second Edition version of an entry.
[Show results list] Return to results list.
[Show previous entry in results list]*[Show next entry in results list] Go to previous/next entry in the results list.
[Go to next match in entry]/[Go to previous match in entry] Go to next/previous match within an entry (after a Full Text search).

Header frame: results list display

Image of results number control Select a number from the list box and click [Redisplay results] to redisplay the results list with the selected number visible on each page.

Main frame: entry display

Show pronunciation Toggle pronunciation information on and off.
Show spellings Toggle information on variant spellings on and off.
Show etymology Toggle the etymology of the entry on and off.
Show quotations Toggle the quotations on and off.
Show date charts Toggle the date chart (which shows the dates of quotations in the entry) on and off.
Show Additions Switch any Additions material which updates an entry on and off.

Main frame: results list display

[List by entry name] List results alphabetically by entry name.
[List by entry date] List results chronologically by entry date.
[List by quotation date] List results chronologically by quotation date.
[Go to next page of results] Go to the next page of results
[Go to previous page of results] Go to the previous page of results
[Go to results page beginning at specified number] Type a number in the input box and click the [Go to results page beginning at specified number] button. The page of results beginning at the specified number is displayed.

Tools frame

[List entries alphabetically] Lists entries in the entry list alphabetically. This is the default setting.
[List entries chronologically] Lists entries in the entry list by date, i.e. in the order of date of first use.
[Show entry map] Displays a map of the current entry.
Show Simple search form Opens the Full Text search function.
[Show Advanced search form] Opens the Advanced search page.
[Show printable version] Click here to print an entry or results list.
[Mail a free link to this entry] Click here to mail an entry to a friend or colleague.
[Get help with using OED Online] Click here for help.
[Sign out of OED Online] Click here to exit the Dictionary.

More about the main window

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