American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage Dictionary is an excellent dictionary for current English usage. It also does an excellent job with etymologies of words, including specialized lists of Indo-European and Semitic roots of English words.
English Language Dictionaries
The largest and most famous dictionary of English is the Oxford English Dictionary. Its particular strength is coverage of historical meanings of English words. Two other online resources are:
The table below gives some call number ranges for dictionaries and other word books in Alden Library. Non-circulating volumes are in the Learning Commons on the 2nd floor. You can find many additional volumes, which you can check out, on the 7th floor.
| CALL NUMBERS | SUBJECT |
|---|---|
| PE1400 - PE1498 | Usage; Writing; Translation |
| PE1571 - PE1631 | Dictionaries |
| PE1591 | Synonyms and antonyms |
| PE1667 - PE3729 | Specialized Word Books |
| PE1700 - PE3602 | Dialects; Provincialisms |
| PE3701 - PE3729 | Slang; Vulgarisms |
WordNet Search is a large lexical database of English which groups nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs into groups of synonyms, antonyms, and other words related in a hierarchical semantic sense.
Wordnik is a multi-purpose word tool. It provides definitions of English words (with examples); lists of related words such as synonyms, words that are more specific and more generic than the target word, etc.; user-created lists of words; images; audio pronunciations; and much more.
Collocations, Idioms, etc.
Dictionary of Untranslatables - a Philosophical Lexicon by Call Number: B51 .V6313 2014Publication Date: 2014"...an encyclopedic dictionary of close to 400 important philosophical, literary, and political terms and concepts that defy easy--or any--translation from one language and culture to another."
From the Horse's Mouth by Call Number: Ref PE1464 .O94 2009Publication Date: 2009A dictionary of English idioms.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary - For Students of English by Call Number: Ref PE1464 .O946 2009xPublication Date: 2009An accompanying CD-ROM is available for checkout from the desk on the 4th floor of Alden.
Random House Webster's Word Menu by Call Number: Ref. PE1680 .G58 1997xISBN: 0345414411Publication Date: 1997Lists and defines words and terms in over seven hundred subject areas including nature, science and technology, domestic life, arts, language, and institutions
