History of the OED. The Oxford English Dictionary has been the last word on words for over a century. But, as with a respected professor or admired parent, we count on its wisdom and authority without thinking much about how it was acquired. What is the history of the Oxford English Dictionary? Exploring its origins and development will give new insight into this extraordinary, living document. How it began When the members of the Philological Society of London decided, in 1857, that existing English language dictionaries were incomplete and deficient, and called for a complete re-examination of the language from Anglo-Saxon times onward, they knew they were embarking on an ambitious project. The project proceeded slowly after the Society’s first grand statement of purpose.
More work than they thought Existing English dictionaries were incomplete and deficient It was estimated that the project would be finished in approximately ten years. The English language never stops evolving One step at a time. Erin McKean: The joy of lexicography.
Free Rice! A Word A Day. WORD OF THE DAY - The Learning Network Blog. Online Etymology Dictionary. Bias (n.) 1520s, from French biais "slant, slope, oblique," also figuratively, "expedient, means" (13c., originally in Old French a past participle adjective, "sideways, askance, against the grain"), of unknown origin, probably from Old Provençal biais, with cognates in Old Catalan and Sardinian; possibly from Vulgar Latin *(e)bigassius, from Greek epikarsios "athwart, crosswise, at an angle," from epi- "upon" + karsios "oblique," from PIE *krs-yo-, from root *(s)ker- (1) "to cut" (see shear (v.)). It became a noun in Old French. "[A] technical term in the game of bowls, whence come all the later uses of the word" [OED].
Transferred sense of "predisposition, prejudice" is from 1570s in English. For what a man had rather were true he more readily believes. Bias (v.) 1620s, literal and figurative, from bias (n.). Etymology / Root Words.