Middle English Dictionary facts for kids
The Middle English Dictionary is a huge dictionary that helps us understand words from a long time ago. It was created by the University of Michigan. This dictionary is all about Middle English, which was spoken and written between the years 1175 and 1500. It has about 15,000 pages! It looks closely at how words were used back then. To do this, the dictionary uses over three million examples from old writings. It is the biggest collection of its kind.
Contents
What is the Middle English Dictionary?
The Middle English Dictionary is a special book. It lists and explains words from a time called the Middle Ages. This was after Old English and before Modern English. Think of it like a time machine for words! It helps people study old books and poems. It shows how words changed over hundreds of years.
How This Huge Dictionary Was Made
Work on this amazing dictionary started way back in 1925. It took many years to finish! The first part, called "Plan and Bibliography," came out in 1954. It listed all the old texts that were used to find words. Hans Kurath and Sherman Kuhn helped publish this first part.
Over the next few decades, more parts of the dictionary were published. These parts were like sections of a very long book. They came out in alphabetical order. Finally, the entire dictionary was finished in 2001.
Finding the Dictionary Online
Good news! In 2007, the whole Middle English Dictionary became available online. You can now search it for free! It's in a special format called HTML. This means you can easily read it on a computer or tablet. It's a great tool for anyone interested in old languages.
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