Shorter Oxford English Dictionary
by Oxford University Press
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"OK, not for the budget-conscious. But this magnificent dictionary tells the history of every word it defines (including obsolete meanings), and cites classic written sources for those definitions. If you’re in a dispute and someone tells you “singular ‘they'” is a modern, politically correct abomination, look it up. You’ll find citations going back to 1375 from one great author after another, and the point is yours. Figurative “literally”? Look it up. “Whose” can’t be used with an inanimate object? This is a dictionary whose authority and evidence will prove otherwise."
Grammar Books That Prove What They Preach · fivebooks.com