[‘ Thoughts or scraps of information about all or many kinds of things, esp. (a collection of) notes, jottings, or short pieces of writing on all or many kinds of subjects.']
Pronunciation: Brit. /ˌɒmnɪˈɑːnə/, U.S. /ˌɑmniˈɑnə/
Etymology: < classical Latin /omnis/ all (see omni- comb. form) or omnia all things, use as noun of neuter plural of omnis (see above) + -ana (see -ana suffix).
Quot. 1990 probably refers to Coleridge’s co-authorship with Southey of Omniana (see quot. 1812).
N.E.D. (1902) gives the pronunciation as (ǫ/mniˌ/ē/i·nă) /ɒmnɪˈeɪnə.
Now chiefly hist.
Thoughts or scraps of information about all or many kinds of things, esp. (a collection of) notes, jottings, or short pieces of writing on all or many kinds of subjects.
1807 W. Taylor in J. W. Robberds /Mem. W. Taylor/(1843) II. 185 Now it is only in the Athenæum that I get at the omniana passing in your brain.
1812 R. Southey & S. T. Coleridge(title) Omniana, or Horæ otiosiores.
1819 R. Southey /Select. from Lett./(1856) III. 426, I should very well like to edit Sir T. Browne’s works..and add such Omniana notes as my stores may enable me to furnish.
1916 J. F. Fuller(title) Omniana, the autobiography of an Irish octogenarian.
1946 /N. & Q./ 30 Nov. 238/2 While he was editor..there appeared a series of brief papers (obviously fillers) called ‘Omniana’.
1990 /Times Lit. Suppl./ 28 Sept. 1016/2 Time..may come to attach more weight to a page on myth by Camus..than to the sum of Eliade’s brave omniana (the word is Coleridge’s).