The scope of the Dictionary, in the form which it finally assumed, is thus stated in the preface to Volume I:—‘The aim of this dictionary is to furnish an adequate account of the meaning, origin, and history of English words now in general use, or known to have been in use at any time during the last seven hundred years. It endeavours (1) to show, with regard to each individual word, when, how, in what shape, and with what signification, it became English; what development of form and meaning it has since received; which of its uses have, in the course of time, become obsolete, and which still survive; what new uses have since arisen, by what processes, and when: (2) to illustrate these facts by a series of quotations ranging from the first known occurrence of the word to the latest, or down to the present day; the word being thus made to exhibit its own history and meaning: and (3) to treat the etymology of each word strictly on the basis of historical fact, and in accordance with the methods and results of modern philological science.’ [Illustration: GATEWAY OF THE OLD ASHMOLEAN] As the history of many English words begins with the Anglo-Saxon period, and the ‘first known occurrence’ may be as early as the seventh century, the period actually covered by hundreds of the articles in the Dictionary is one of ten, eleven, or twelve centuries. The extent to which the aim of the Dictionary has been accomplished is not yet so widely known as it ought to be. Many discussions as to the origin, history, and meaning of words are carried on in newspapers and periodicals which could be decided at once by a reference to the Dictionary. Inquirers spend much of their own and others’ time, and in the end write to one of the editors, in quest of information which has for years been available in the published volumes. Nor is it solely the student of language who can profit by the use of the Dictionary, although in this respect it is of unique value both for English and Continental philologists. Every scholar and scientist is likely to find in it some fresh light upon his own subject, for many special points in the history and terminology of the various sciences have for the first time been elucidated in its pages. The reputation, however, of the Dictionary is now so widely spread that it would be superfluous to call witnesses to its unique qualities and its profound usefulness. In the legislature and in the law courts, as well as in the library and the market place, its ruling on the meanings and use of words is accepted as final. Nor is the range of the work limited in this respect to the usage of the United Kingdom; it embraces all forms of the language sanctioned as standard by literary use, wherever English is spoken and written.