Library Tools- Dictionaries - Subject Guide

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Sections in this category: General Resources | Dictionaries

General Resources

The American Heritage Abbreviations Dictionary
Definition for abbreviations across disciplines.

American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms
The largest collection of idioms and popular phrases available today.

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
Newly updated English dictionary. Also have older editions in print Mortensen Library Reference [PE1628 .A623 2006] and Mortensen Library Oversized [PE1628 .A623 2000].

Bloomsbury Biographical Dictionary of Quotations
Compilation of quotations and sayings from different eras.

Bloomsbury Thesaurus
Modern English thesaurus.

Brewer's Dictionary of Irish Phrase and Fable
Devoted exclusively to the history, culture, mythology and language of the island of Ireland.

Brewer's Dictionary of Modern Phrase and Fable
Phrase and fable dictionary for the 21st century.

The Browser's Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases
Practical and browsable A-to-Z reference tells you all you need to know to understand, pronounce and appreciate the many foreign words and phrases commonly used by speakers and writers of English.

Chambers Dictionary
Modern English dictionary.

Chambers Dictionary of Eponyms
Find the origin of words that derive from a person from history.

Collins Concise Dictionary of Quotations
Ideal reference source for speech, essays, and letter writers.

Collins Dictionary of Quotations
Quotations arranged thematically for ease of reference.

Collins English Dictionary
Modern English dictionary.

Collins French Dictionary and Grammar
Complete and up-to-date coverage of all the words and phrases you need in French

Collins German Dictionary
Complete and up-to-date coverage of all the words and phrases you need in German. Also have print edition in Mortensen Library Shelves [PF3640 .C68 2007].

Collins Greek-English Dictionary
Thousands of examples show how Greek is used in context.

Collins Irish Dictionary
Complete and up-to-date coverage of all the words and phrases you need in Irish

Collins Italian Dictionary
Complete and up-to-date coverage of all the words and phrases you need in Italian

Collins Latin Dictionary Plus Grammar
Complete and up-to-date coverage of all the words and phrases you need in Latin

Collins Portuguese Dictionary
Complete and up-to-date coverage of all the words and phrases you need in Portuguese

Collins Slownik Polsko-Angielski (Polish-English Dictionary)
This dictionary will help you read and understand modern Polish, as well as communicate and express yourself in the language.

Collins Spanish Dictionary
Complete and up-to-date coverage of all the words and phrases you need in Spanish. Also have print edition in Mortensen Library Shelves [PC4640 .C64 2010].

Collins Spurrell Welsh Dictionary
Complete and up-to-date coverage of all the words and phrases you need in Spurrell Welsh

Dictionary of Contemporary Slang
Guide to the use of slang today.

Dictionary of Foreign Phrases and Abbreviations
Lists in one alphabetical sequence foreign phrases, proverbs, maxims and abbreviations frequently used in written and spoken English.

Dictionary of languages : the definitive reference to more than 400 languages
The essential guide to the languages of the world, comprehensively detailing more than 400 languages in a clear A-Z style.

Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics
Remains the standard single-volume reference for the field of linguistics and phonetics.

Glossary of Internet Terms
Brief definitions of key terms, including hyperlinks to related terminology.

The Macquarie Dictionary
Modern Australian English dictionary, including phrasebook.

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
Modern English dictionary. Older print edition available in Mortensen Library Reference [PE1628 .M36 2003]

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Houghton Mifflin
Relevant terminology in contemporary American society.

OED Online (Oxford English Dictionary)
Search the definitive dictionary of the English language, complete and continuously updated. Provides definitions, etymology, and history of usage with examples over time. UofH users only. Full text. Click "Check Status" for access. Check Status

The Penguin Complete English Dictionary
Modern English dictionary.

The Penguin Rhyming Dictionary
Offers an astonishingly wide range of suggestions for rhyming words, from the common and everyday to the more difficult and obscure.

Rawson's Dictionary of American Quotations
Covers quotations from aspects of American life, culture, and politics.

Rawson's Dictionary of Euphemisms and Other Doubletalk
Useful dictionary of English Usage for idiomatic words and phrases.

Rawson's Wicked Words
Study of the use of words and phrases as pertaining to put-downs or insults.

Respectfully quoted : a dictionary of quotations requested from the Congressional Research Service
Compilation of quotations used by the Congressional Research Service.

Roget's II The New Thesaurus
Modern English thesaurus. Also older print copy available in Mortensen Library Shelves [PE1591 .R737 1980].

Simpsons Contemporary Quotations
Unique compilation of quotations since 1950.

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Dictionaries

Collins English-Greek Dictionary
A comprehensive coverage of today's Greek and English in a clear, user-friendly format.

Collins English-Polish Dictionary
This dictionary will help you read and understand modern Polish, as well as communicate and express yourself in the language.

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Broader Guides

Reference

OED Online (Oxford English Dictionary)
Search the definitive dictionary of the English language, complete and continuously updated. Provides definitions, etymology, and history of usage with examples over time. UofH users only. Full text.

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Broader Guides

Reference

Acronym Finder
Searchable database of over 61,000 acronyms, abbreviations and definitions.

Cambridge Dictionaries Online
Link to four sources from Cambridge University Press to find words, idioms, or phrased verbs. Includes examples as well as definitions and pronunciation.

Chambers Thesaurus
Searchable online thesaurus.

Dictionary of Units
Definition and conversion factors for most units of measurement.

Dictionary.com
Links to major reference tools, including general and special dictionaries, thesaurus, and writing manuals.

Familiar Quotations
Search the 1919 edition of Bartlett's quotation dictionary. Part of Project Bartleby.

Guide to Grammar and Writing
Basic searchable, detailed guide to sentence structure, punctuation, and more. Includes an online dictionary and thesaurus, web links for writers, and even an interactive grammar advice column.

Hypertext Webster Gateway
Dictionary lookup program. Words in definitions are hyperlinked to allow finding their definitions.

Infoplease.com
Search for or browse for information from Information Please Almanacs, a dictionary, and the Columbia Encyclopedia. Includes extensive biographical information. Special daily features.

lexicool.com: Directory of Translation Dictionaries
Searchable directory of over 2000 bilingual and multilingual dictionaries and glossaries.

Library Definitions - University of Hartford
Definitions of key terms used by the University of Hartford Library.

Logos
Multilingual dictionary and more. Type a word, choose the language you want it translated to. Link to quotations using the word. Use Verba to conjugate verbs. Includes anagram and crossword dictionaries as well as other tools.

Merriam-Webster Online: the Language Center
Dictionary, thesaurus, and other language-related resources.

NetLingo Dictionary of Internet Words
Frames based dictionary of internet words, describing technology, software, acronyms, etc. Brief definitions with links for more.

Online Etymology Dictionary
Free searchable dictionary of the origins of words in the English language.

The On-Line Medical Dictionary
Brief definitions of terms in medicine and the sciences. Search or browse by word or topic. Be aware of British spelling and terminology.

SYMBOLS.com
History, use, and meanings of thousands of Western signs and symbols. Graphic and word indexes. Based on Carl G. Luingman's Thought Signs.

Terminology Collection Online Dictionaries
From the Dept. of Communication Studies, Univ. of Vaasa, Finland. Links to "general language" (single and multi-lingual) and "special language" (subject specific).

WordNet: A Lexical Database for the English Language
WordNet may be used as a simple dictionary or thesaursus, but the design of each entry is to give lexical cross-referenced information for research in computational linguistics, semantics, artificial intelligence and cognitive psychology.

WordReference.com
Collins Dictionaries from HarperCollins, including English and bilingual.

The Wordsmyth English Dictionary-Thesaurus
Search results in both definitions and synonyms for English terms.

yourdictionary.com
Links to hundreds of dictionaries and thesauri. Includes links to dictionaries in over 130 non-English languages.

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Broader Guides

Reference