Dictionaries & Thesauri

Individual Dictionaries

Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged
(Library subscription for Fairfield U. community)
http://library2.fairfield.edu/dblist.php#W

Covers the current vocabulary of standard written and spoken English. New terms or new uses of existing terms are therefore included at the expense of obsolete ones. The cut-off point is set at 1755 and is informed by usefulness: words obsolete before this time, unless found in the well-known works of major authors, are omitted.

Oxford English Dictionary (OED) Online (Library subscription for Fairfield U. community)
http://dictionary.oed.com/entrance.dtl

Can be searched for both current and historical definitions of a word, as well as provide quotations and the ability to search for the occurrence of a word in any definition.

Collections of Dictionaries

OneLook Dictionaries
http://www.onelook.com

Includes over 4.8 million words indexed in more than 750 online dictionaries. Type a word into the search box on the front page to retrieve a list of dictionary web sites defining that word.

Online Dictionaries (Library subscriptions for Fairfield U. community)
http://library2.fairfield.edu/dblist.php?s=4

A selection of general, language, art, music, medical and literary dictionaries.

Oxford Reference Online
(Library subscription for Fairfield U. community)
http://library2.fairfield.edu/dblist.php#O

Brings together 100 language and subject dictionaries and reference works into a single cross-searchable resource.

your.Dictionary.com
http://www.yourdictionary.com

Includes more than 2500 dictionaries and grammars in over 300 languages, games that build language skills, and a forum (The Agora) for discussing language issues with the logophile community.

Specialized Dictionaries

Behind the Name
http://www.behindthename.com

Offers etymology and history of first names.

Brief American English-British English Glossary
http://www.uta.fi/FAST/US1/REF/usgbdiff.html

Find a word in the English language and its equivalent across the pond.

Duhaime's Legal Dictionary
http://www.duhaime.org/diction.htm

Canadian Lawyer Lloyd Duhaime provides this researched dictionary of legal terms free of charge.

 

Merrriam Webster Medical Dictionary
http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/9276/9276.html

Look up medical terms or a drug by its generic or brand names. This dictionary provides helpful search tips and a pronounciation guide.

Online Dictionary of the Social Sciences
http://bitbucket.icaap.org/dict.pl

This dictionary is a fully searchable, electronic version of a 900+ item dictionary authored by Gary Parkinson, Ph.D. and Robert Drislane, Ph.D.

Thesauri

Merriam Webster Online
http://www.m-w.com/netdict.htm

The thesaurus contains more than 340,000 synonyms, antonyms, related and contrasted words, and idioms.

Roget's II: The New Thesaurus
http://www.bartleby.com/62

Containing 35,000 synonyms and over 250,000 cross-references in an easy-to-use format, this thesaurus features succinct word definitions and an innovative hyperlinked category index.

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