This Day in History: , Oxford Dictionary Debuts.br February 1, 1884.br The first portion, or fascicle, of the br Oxford English Dictionary (OED) br is published.br The OED is considered the mostbr comprehensive and accurate dictionary of the English language, providing a detailed chronological history br for every word and phrase.br Plans for the dictionary br were conceived by members of br London’s Philological Society in 1857.br Estimated as a 10-year project, br it took over 40 years until the br 125th fascicle was published in 1928 br and the full dictionary was complete.br Its 20 volumes weigh over br 137 pounds, and would take one br person 120 years to type br all 59 million words.