Oxford English Dictionary
![[[Letter 316|A letter from Tolkien to the OED]], explaining the entry "Hobbit".](https://v6.elanillounico.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Robert-Burchfield-11-September-1970.jpg)
The 'Oxford English Dictionary' (OED), or New English Dictionary as it was called at its initiation, is the standard English dictionary. J.R.R. Tolkien spent several years as an assistant, and several of his own words and works would be cited in it.
Early History
The dictionary project started in 1878. Though it was originally not a part of the University of Oxford, the institute took over the project later. The sections covering A-H were published by 1900, but both the war and the death of Sir James Murray, the original editor, in 1915 meant that the section U-Z was not complete yet. After Murray's death, three editors remained: Henry Bradley, William Craigie, and C.T. Onions. Most of their assistants had gone to war and not returned (either not to the Dictionary or not at all), so new assistants were necessary.
Tolkien in the OED (1928 edition)
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According to Gilliver et al., Tolkien worked on the following words:
- Waggle (noun & adjective)
- Waggly
- Wain
- Waist
- Waistband
- Waist-cloth
- Waistcoat
- Waistcoated
- Waistcoateer
- Waisted
- Waister
- Waistless
- Waist-rail
- Waist-tree
- Wait-a-bit
- Waiter
- Waitership
- Waiting (noun & adjective)
- Waiting-maid
- Waiting-man
- Waiting-room
- Waiting-woman
- Waitress
- Wake (noun & verb)
- Wake-robin
- Wake-wort
- Waldend
- Wallop (noun & verb)
- Walloper
- Walloping (noun & adjective)
- Walm (noun & verb)
- Walming
- Walnut
- Walrus
- Wampum
- Wampumpeag
- Wan (noun, adjective & verb)
- Wander (noun & verb)
- Wanderable
- Wandered
- Wanderer
- Wandering (noun & adjective)
- Wanderment
- Wander-year
- Wandreth
- Wane (noun, adjective & verb)
- Want (noun & verb)
- Want-louse
- Wariangle
- Warlock (noun & verb)
- Warlockry
- Warm
- Weald
- Wealden
- Wealding
- Wield
- Wild
- Wold
Carpenter also notes:
- Wasp
- Water
- Wick
- Winter
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The OED in Tolkien
The OED makes two appearances in Tolkien's work. The four original editors - Murray, Bradley, Craigie and Onions - were referenced in Farmer Giles of Ham:
Later, in The Notion Club Papers, the N.E.D. appears:
Referencias
1. Esta ficha se ha importado inicialmente de TolkienGateway.net el día 28/05/2026.
