Толковый словарь среднего объема в системе русского лексикографического мейнстрима

The article reviews key characteristics (list of compilers, composition of registry vocabulary, depth of semantization and details of headers' illustrations, stylistic label system, etc.) of the first two volumes of the Academic Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language (AED) developed at the Vinogradov Russian Language Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and published in 2016. The article defines the position of the new explanatory dictionary of the middle size (AED) within Russian lexicographical mainstream. The conclusion is justified that AED is a new step towards development of the Russian lexicographical mainstream.