The Last Dictionary

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• The Last Dictionary
• Jeffrey R. Di Leo (bio)

dictionary, n. [c. 1480–] 1.a. A book which explains or translates, usually in alphabetical order, the words of a language or languages (or of a particular category of vocabulary), giving for each word its typical spelling, an explanation of its meaning or meanings, and often other information, such as pronunciation, etymology, synonyms, equivalents in other languages, and illustrative examples. Also (from the late 20th cent.): an electronic resource performing this function. Cf. lexicon n., wordbook n.

—Oxford English Dictionary (online)

last dictionary, n. [2024–] The last book that explained or translated, usually in alphabetical order, the words of a language or languages (or of a particular category of vocabulary), and gave for each word its typical spelling, an explanation of its meaning or meanings, and often other information, such as pronunciation, etymology, synonyms, equivalents in other languages, and illustrative examples. Replaced in the 21st century by an electronic resource performing this function. Cf. dictionary n.

—a future addition to the Oxford English Dictionary (online)

There is a dictionary for everything—except every word in the English language.

For some, the lexicographical maniacs, such a dictionary is the Holy Grail of lexicography. They dream of a space where the entirety of the English language is accessible through a dictionary the likes of which the world has never seen. It is a dictionary with an entry for every word that has ever been used by anyone in the English language. This includes not only formal and informal writing from books to blogs but also any and all verbal acts from music to marketing. Its principle of inclusion is that no word used in the English language will be excluded from it. In short, this very long dictionary would be a dictionary without gatekeepers who agonize over what words should be included and excluded. [End Page ix]

For others, however, this dream amounts to a complete deconstruction of the role of the dictionary in lexicography. Dictionaries are about gatekeepers. These gatekeepers are lexicographers who determine whether a word should be in the dictionary. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED), for example, has had upwards of eighty lexicographers working on its forthcoming third edition. A large part of their job is to determine what words need to be added to this dictionary. It is a task these lexicographers take very seriously. As evidence of the gravitas of this decision, consider that it can take up to five years to add a new word to the OED.

"You can make a case for including any lexical item in a dictionary," said Jane Johnson. "It's just a case of priorities," she continued. Part of Johnson's job as a new-words editor for the third edition of the OED is to help her editorial team to establish those priorities. "You have to work out which ones seem to have the most value," she says.

At least in the case of the OED, the priorities and values that determine whether a new word is added to the dictionary involve usage. If a word is only used once or twice, it is not going to be added to the OED no matter who used it. But if a word starts to grow in usage, then it begins to attract the attention of OED gatekeepers like Johnson. So then, how much usage is enough? At what point does lexical exclusion yield to inclusion?

"There's no magic number," says Fiona McPherson. "It's not, 'Well, we've got ten examples so we're going to look at it.'" For McPherson, who has worked as an OED lexicographer since 1997, it comes down to the "breadth and depth" of a word's use. If a word is used by a broad range of people and starts to establish roots in terms of usage, then it warrants consideration for inclusion. But even so, the road ahead for inclusion is an arduous and uncertain one. Not only does the word usage need to come to the attention of the gatekeepers, but it also has to become a priority for them.

As an example, consider the phrase "always already." This term is used a...