Section outline

    • Definition: 'a statement that explains the meaning of a word or phrase’, ‘a description of the features and limits of something’ (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/definition).

      The first single-language English dictionary, called ‘Table Alphabeticall’, was written by Robert Cawdrey and contained the definitions of 3000 words. It was published in 1604, a time when many new words connected to trade and innovation were appearing in the English language. Over 400 years later, the Oxford English Dictionary contains over 600,000 definitions and adds hundreds of new words every year.