Re: OED

  • From: Bill Troop <billtroop@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: xywrite@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:16:19 +0000


I have the sense 'country dweller' and I want a collective noun. HTOED allows me to find 'the ruralty'

Bumpkins.

Not quite. Here's what's great about HTOED. Ruralty is one of six words (including peasantry) classified under

1. the external world >
   * the living world >
   * food and drink >
   * farming >
   * farmer >
   * [noun] >
   * rustic or peasant >
   * collectively
   * <http://0-www.oed.com.opac.sfsu.edu/view/th/class/51981>ruralty (a1641)

and one of five words (not including peasantry) under

2. society >
   * inhabiting or dwelling >
   * inhabitant or resident >
   * inhabitant according to environment >
   * country dweller >
   * [noun] >
   * collectively
   * <http://0-www.oed.com.opac.sfsu.edu/view/th/class/158331>ruralty (a1641)

while bumpkin, in the sense you mean, is classified both under

1. the external world >
   * the living world >
   * food and drink >
   * farming >
   * farmer >
   * [noun] >
   * rustic or peasant >
   * ignorant
   * <http://0-www.oed.com.opac.sfsu.edu/view/th/class/51984>bumpkin (1570)
[same family tree as 1. above but a different branch]

and

2. society >
   * the community >
   * social class or rank >
   * the common people >
   * specific classes of common people >
   * peasant or rustic >
   * [noun] >
   * rude or ignorant
   * <http://0-www.oed.com.opac.sfsu.edu/view/th/class/156883>bumpkin (1570)

Doubtless there will be many decisions to argue, but by and large, Christian Kay and her team have done an amazing job.

(The first review of it was my wife's, http://www.literaryreview.co.uk/barker_11_09.html)

Other related posts: