Re: Merriam-Webster's Unabridged vs Oxford English Dictionary

Harlan Messinger wrote:

2. W3 underwent last major update in 1961

Doesn't that contradict your assertion that W3 is one of
two comprehensive dictionaries worth buying? This might
have been true in the 1960s, but the absence of 45 years
worth of developments in the English language ought to
erase the distinction that this dictionary once had.

I agree, 45 years is a lot of time for a language. However,
considering W3's enormous amount of entries it can be
outdated in quite small percentage if its content. Also,
there is "Addenda Section" (accordig to this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webster%27s_Third_New_International_Dictionary,
"2.3 Revisions and updates"), which is updated regularly.
Last update was in 2002.

[...] is online
(or CD-ROM) edition of W3/OED is more updated than paper
edition or is it just an electronic snapshot of paper
content?

You can easily answer this for yourself by looking up
words that wouldn't be in the paper editions. Look up
"World Wide Web" in the 1961 W3 and then look it up in
the on-line Merriam Webster Unabridged--or even in the
free version at www.m-w.com. For the OED, repeat this
exercise for "Google", which was added to the on-line
version last week.

Yes, www.m-w.com succeeded to provide definition for "World
Wide Web" and other modern words. I couldn't find free
online access for OED, though (besides trial version, which
requires registration).


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