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English
 Websites presented in alphabetical order ARTFL Project: 1913 Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary 
 The complete dictionary, with over 100,000 entries. A search will bring up the definitions, hypertext cross-references, and a link to the page in the dictionary where the word appears. From the ARTFL Project (Project for American and French Research on the Treasury of the French Language), Division of the Humanities, the University of Chicago. http://humanities.uchicago.edu/orgs/ARTFL/forms_unrest/webster.form.html Topics: Dictionaries, English Language, Language Last updated Jan 17, 2004 AskOxford.com
Includes a word of the day for vocabulary building, quotations, definitions of grammar and literary terms ("Jargon Buster"), guides to better writing and presentation, crossword puzzles and other word games, how English is used around the world, articles about learning other languages (primarily European), and a history of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). A lexicographer's delight, available in U.K. and U.S. versions. http://www.askoxford.com/ Topics: Dictionaries, English Language, Language, Mysteries and More Last updated Jun 8, 2004 Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
As any reference librarian knows, Brewer is the first place to look for the meaning and origin of phrase and fable. And although this edition is taken from the 1898 edition of the book, many of the phrases and fables we encounter today will appear in this classic source. The text is browsable or easily searched by keywords. The site is brought to the Web by Bartleby.com, a source for many titles of classic literature. http://www.bartleby.com/81/ Topics: Dictionaries, English Language, Language, Literary Movements and Periods, Literature & Books, Literature: Fiction, Religion Last updated Aug 19, 2003 Cambridge Dictionaries Online
Find the definition of a word or the meaning of an idiom by searching the appropriate English language teaching dictionary available. Site also features a dictionary of phrasal verbs for English language learners as well as a French-English/English-French dictionary and a Spanish-English/English-Spanish dictionary. Searchable. From Cambridge University Press. http://dictionary.cambridge.org/ Topics: Dictionaries, English Language, Language Last updated Jun 18, 2007 The Devil's Dictionary
This edition of the cynically humorous reference work by Ambrose Bierce is preceded with the useful caveat, "there will no doubt be material here that you will find sexist, nationalist, racist, or just generally offensive." Nevertheless, much to browse in this classic, first published in 1906, such as this definition of the term pantomime : "a play in which the story is told without violence to the language." http://www.alcyone.com/max/lit/devils/ Topics: Dictionaries, Language, Nonfiction by Genre, Sports, Recreation, & Entertainment Last updated Dec 20, 2001 Dictionary of Difficult Words
A simple searchable A-Z index of thousands of difficult words from The Hutchinson Dictionary of Difficult Words . Use as a resource for increasing your vocabulary; for word games and puzzles; or just for enjoying and enriching your word power. Includes many foreign words used in the English language today. http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/dictionaries/difficultwords/ Topics: Dictionaries, English Language, Language, Mysteries and More Last updated Aug 3, 2002 Dictionary of Newfoundland English Online
The second edition (1982), plus supplements, of the Dictionary of Newfoundland English , a "regional lexicon of one of the oldest overseas communities of the English-speaking world: the lexicon of Newfoundland and coastal Labrador as it is displayed in the sources drawn upon in compiling the work, sources which range from sixteenth-century printed books to tape recordings of contemporary Newfoundland speakers." There are over 5,000 entries in this searchable and browsable collection. http://www.heritage.nf.ca/dictionary/ Topics: Dictionaries, English Language, Language Last updated Mar 12, 2003 A Dictionary of Slang
A searchable and browsable guide "to the many slang expressions heard in the United Kingdom." Includes bibliography. http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/ Topics: Dictionaries, English Language, Language Last updated Aug 14, 2001 Double-Tongued Dictionary
This site "records undocumented or under-documented words from the fringes of English, with a focus on slang, jargon, and new words. This site strives to record terms and expressions that are absent from, or are poorly covered in, mainstream dictionaries." Browse or search entries such as "spizerinctum," "standfirst," and "fourwalling." From a lexicographer and editor of slang dictionaries. http://www.doubletongued.org Topics: Dictionaries, English Language, Language Last updated Jun 21, 2007 Dr. Johnson's House
Information about the London, England, house that was "a home and workplace for Samuel Johnson from 1748-1759, and it was here that he compiled the first comprehensive English Dictionary." Provides history, dictionary definition of the month and personality of the month related to Johnson, brief FAQ, visitor information, and links to related websites. From Dr. Johnson's House Trust. http://www.drjohnsonshouse.org/ Topics: Authors by Region, Dictionaries Last updated Sep 10, 2007 From Noah Webster to Merriam-Webster: Celebrating 200 Years of Dictionary Making in America
In 2006 "Merriam-Webster celebrates the bicentennial anniversary of America's first dictionary, Noah Webster's A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language, published in 1806." The site features a timeline, a list of words appearing for the first time in Webster's 1806 dictionary, and brief background about Noah Webster's spelling reforms. Also includes listings of associated spelling bee events for children and adults. From Merriam-Webster. http://www.merriam-webster.com/info/webster-reform.htm Topics: Dictionaries Last updated Jul 27, 2006 InfoVisual.info
This "site uses images to explain objects, listing all their component parts in English and French. ... Every image and term is fully defined. Sometimes, animations allow to better understand a phenomenon." Includes dozens of images from the topics of basic biology, the human body, music, and transportation. Includes animations for items such as reproduction of algae. The site was originally written in French. From a doctoral candidate in Canada. http://www.infovisual.info Topics: Dictionaries Last updated Jan 10, 2006 Language Dictionaries of Computing Terms
Basic computer terms translated from English to French, English to German, and English to Spanish. Gender is indicated for nouns. There are no pronunciation guides. From the Computing Services of Queen Mary University of London. http://www.css.qmul.ac.uk/foreign/ Topics: Computers, Dictionaries, Language Last updated Nov 20, 2002 Merriam-Webster Online [Dictionary]
A dictionary based on the Webster Collegiate, with updates added annually. Hundreds of thousands of entries. Each word is accompanied by definition, pronunciation, usage, grammatical function, and a brief etymology. Includes a thesaurus. Misspellings return suggested spellings. The dictionary's search system supports internal wildcards and right hand truncation searching. Includes an extensive pronunciation guide and sound files for the pronunciation of many terms. http://www.merriam-webster.com/ Topics: Dictionaries, English Language, Language, Literature & Books, Ready Reference & Quick Facts Last updated Nov 1, 2009 My Hebrew Dictionary
A tool for translating English words and phrases into Hebrew script. Subjects include Aliyah (immigration to Israel), computers, food, Judaism, military, sports, weather, and more. http://www.dictionary.co.il/ Topics: Dictionaries, Judaism, Languages Last updated Oct 11, 2005 Navy Slang: Covey Crump
A collection of British Royal Navy "slang, abbreviations, legends and historical tid-bits" originally compiled by Commander A. Covey-Crump in 1955. From the website of the Royal Navy. http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/training-and-people/rn-life/navy-slang/covey-crump-a-to-aye/covey-crump-a-to-aye Topics: Dictionaries, English Language, Language Last updated Oct 16, 2009 New Words
"Find a sample of the nearly 100 new words and senses that have been added" in 2006 to the New 2006 Copyright of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition. Updated occasionally. http://www.merriam-webster.com/info/new_words.htm Topics: Dictionaries Last updated Dec 12, 2008 The Omnificent English Dictionary In Limerick Form (OEDILF)
Limericks, or so we've been told/Are sometimes quite hard to behold./The text may be naughty,/Or downright plain bawdy;/On this site, all types will unfold. "As an international writing project, our limericks frequently use local spellings, grammar, punctuation and, most likely, rhymes that may not be familiar to all readers." Project is in early stages; expect gaps. From limerick writers in over a dozen countries where English is spoken. http://www.oedilf.com/db/Lim.php Topics: Dictionaries, English Language, Language Last updated Jun 30, 2005 OneLook Dictionaries, The Faster Finder
Search hundreds of general and specialized English dictionaries simultaneously, or select the ones you want to search. Millions of words indexed. http://www.onelook.com/ Topics: Dictionaries, English Language, Language Last updated Apr 20, 2004 Online Etymology Dictionary
Find the origin of everyday words in this well-researched compilation. Browsable alphabetically and searchable. Includes list of abbreviations of language periods and parts of speech as well as key reference sources. The author, a writer/editor, has a clear "amateur's passion for linguistics." http://www.etymonline.com/ Topics: Dictionaries, English Language, Language, Social Science Last updated Mar 10, 2003 The Oxford English Dictionary (OED)
Contains a history of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), related articles from the 1800s, prefatory material from the print edition, a description of researching and writing an entry, and facts about the Dictionary. Note: online edition of the OED requires a fee. http://www.oed.com/ Topics: Dictionaries, English Language, Language Last updated Aug 6, 2004 The Rap Dictionary
A lexicon of thousands of terms related to rap and hip-hop music, now a wiki. Be warned that some of the terms are crude. http://www.rapdict.org/Main_Page Topics: Dictionaries, English Language, Musical Genres Last updated Apr 25, 2007 RhymeZone
This rhyming dictionary finds rhymes to searched words and also allows searches for definitions, synonyms, homophones, similar-sounding words, consonant matches, similar spellings, related words, and phrases. http://www.rhymezone.com/ Topics: Dictionaries, English Language, Language Last updated Jul 8, 2005 Samuel Johnson & The Dictionary
This exhibit looks at Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language, which was started in 1746 and finally published in 1755. Includes brief background information on the creation of the dictionary, a selected bibliography, sample dictionary entries, illustrations, and related links. From the Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University, Calif. http://library.stanford.edu/depts/spc/rbc/other_colls/johnson.html Topics: Authors by Region, Dictionaries, English Language, Language Last updated Jul 3, 2006 Strange & Unusual Dictionaries: Resources for Scrabble Games, Bar Bets, and Other Trivial Pursuits
This site contains online dictionaries that cover single-letter words, all-consonant words (mostly sounds), and all-vowel words. Also has links to related word sites. http://www.oneletterwords.com/ Topics: Dictionaries, English Language, Language Last updated Feb 17, 2007 Street Terms: Drugs and the Drug Trade
This site contains "over 2,000 street terms that refer to specific drug types or drug activity." Browsable by drug names and types. From the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/streetterms/ Topics: Dictionaries, Drugs, Drugs & Medications by Type, English Language, Language, Mental Conditions Last updated Dec 5, 2001 Twists, Slugs and Roscoes: A Glossary of Hardboiled Slang
A glossary of slang terms taken from the hardboiled "private eye" detective fiction of Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, James M. Cain, and others. http://www.miskatonic.org/slang.html Topics: Dictionaries, English Language, Language, Mysteries and More Last updated Jun 25, 2003 The Very Best of British: The American's Guide to Speaking British
If the United States and Britain are indeed separated by a common language, this site explains some of the differences. Based on a book of the same name, the site includes translations of British slang, words for articles of clothing, people, food and drink, and more. http://www.effingpot.com Topics: Dictionaries, English Language, Language Last updated Aug 17, 2004 Visual Dictionary Online
Definitions of "more 20,000 terms ... [and] more than 6,000 stunning illustrations of a wide variety of objects from all aspects of life." Also includes audio clips of pronunciations. Searchable, or browsable by topics: astronomy, earth, plants, animals, humans, food, housing, clothing, arts and architecture, communications, transportation and machinery, energy, science, society, and sports and games. From Merriam-Webster. Note: may not work properly in all browsers. http://visual.merriam-webster.com/ Topics: Dictionaries Last updated Dec 19, 2007 The Word Spy
Devoted to "the sleuthing of new words and phrases... terms that have appeared multiple times in newspapers, magazines, books, Web sites, and other recorded sources." Contains lists of new words with definitions and sample citations, browsable by alphabet and subject. Also features a list of related quotations. Searchable. From word lover and professional computer books writer, Paul McFedries. http://www.wordspy.com/ Topics: Dictionaries, English Language, Language Last updated Feb 29, 2004 WordNet: A Lexical Database for the English Language
More than a thesaurus or dictionary, this database provides synonyms for related concepts as well as for related words. "English nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs are organized into synonym sets, each representing one underlying lexical concept. Different relations link the synonym sets." From the Cognitive Science Laboratory, Princeton University, New Jersey. http://wordnet.princeton.edu/ Topics: Dictionaries, English Language, Language Last updated Feb 5, 2005 Wordsmyth English Dictionary Thesaurus (WEDT)
This is an original standard dictionary-thesaurus of American English with definitions and pronunciations, an integrated thesaurus, and useage examples. Registration required to use some features. http://www.wordsmyth.net/ Topics: Dictionaries, English Language, Language Last updated Dec 11, 2002 Zhongwen.com: Chinese Characters and Culture
The site contains an easy-to-use dictionary of over 4,000 Chinese characters (approximately 12,000 multi-character words). Look up words by pronunciation, radical, stroke count, or English equivalent. Gives definition, etymology, sound, and usage. Includes bilingual editions of famous Chinese texts, names for prominent Chinese-Americans, Chinese dynasties, Chinese surnames, an introduction to the written language, and help with the pronunciation differences between Mandarin spoken in Taiwan and in China. http://www.zhongwen.com/noads.htm Topics: Dictionaries, Language, Languages Last updated Jul 25, 2002 |
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