From the UK Telegraph:
Dr Stephen Hughes, from the University of Technology in Brisbane, noticed that the error in the dictionary during research for an article for science teachers.
The OED definition of the word erroneously states that atmospheric pressure makes siphons work, when in fact it is the force of gravity.
An OED spokesman said the definition was written in 1911 by “editors who were not scientists” and that Dr Hughes’s notes would be taken into account when the entry was rewritten.
A quick West search reveals that the phrase “Oxford English Dictionary” appears in 70 Supreme Court opinions. A number of these citations aim to define words in statutes and other laws.
So if the OED was written by editors who were not scientists, are we to assume to that the editors possessed legal training? And if so, what if OED contains incorrectly defined legal terms. What will SCOTUS do? I wonder what other errors the OED contains.