Choosing your search area

What is a search area?

This is the type of dictionary text you choose to search in a Full Text search. You choose your search area from the list box which shows full text as default in the Full Text search panel.

When you look at a typical entry you will see that it is divided into different sections. In addition to the main definition text for each of the senses of the entry, there is often information on spellings, etymology, and quotations. By default, a Full Text search searches the entire text of the entries, but you can confine your search area to definitions, etymologies, or quotations, if you prefer.

How can I choose a search area?

1. Make sure the Full Text search panel is displayed (click to open it).

2. Choose your search area from the list box.

   
   Search area list box

More about the search areas

Full text is the entire text of all the entries in the dictionary. It includes the entry names as well as spellings, definitions, etymologies, and quotations. A search on the full text of the dictionary is the broadest possible search.

First cited date is the date of the earliest quotations recorded in the Dictionary entries. Searching for a year as afirst cited date will retrieve all the words whose first recorded use in English was in that year.

First cited author is the author of the earliest recorded evidence for a word in the Dictionary. Searching for an author as the first cited author will retrieve all the words whose first recorded use in English was by that person.

First cited work is the (abbreviated) title of the work containing the earliest recorded evidence for a word in the Dictionary. Searching for a work as the first cited work will retrieve all the words whose first recorded use in English was in that work.

Lemmas are the terms defined in the Dictionary. A search in this area (which is only available on the Advanced search page) is equivalent to a Find Word search, but with the additional options offered by Advanced searching.

Definitions is the text which contains all the defined senses or meanings of the entry. There is a definition for every sense of the entry. For example, the definition of the entry marble n., sense 1.a is:

Etymologies is the text which contains information on the origin of the word.

Language names enables a single search to retrieve all the different forms in which a language name occurs in the Dictionary's etymologies.

For example, Sanskrit is referred to in full and also in the abbreviated forms Sk., Skr., and Skt. The variation reflects the long publication history of the original OED. The collation of language names lists all forms in which language names appear in the OED's etymologies, whether abbreviated or in full, but a search for any of these forms in the search area language names retrieves occurrences of all of the forms.

Quotations are the examples from print and manuscript sources which illustrate each sense of an entry. Quotation text is displayed in blue. (Quotations are shown by default but you have the option to hide them.) There are usually quotations for every sense of the headword.

You can choose to search the entire quotations or confine your search to quotation text (quotation text), authors (quotation author), works (quotation work), or dates (quotation date). Choose the appropriate option from the list. Examples of content are:

• quotation text Alas poore Yorick
• quotation author J. H. Newman
• quotation work Tom Sawyer
• quotation date 1653

Pronunciations (only available on the Advanced search page): see Searching pronunciations.

Subjects (only available on the Advanced search page) enables a single search to retrieve all the different forms in which a subject name occurs in the Dictionary's definitions.

For example, anthropology is referred to in full and also in the abbreviated forms Anthrop. and Anthropol. The variation reflects the long publication history of the original OED, but a search for any of these forms in the search area subjects retrieves occurrences of all of the forms.