Synopses & Reviews
The New Oxford American Dictionary sets the standard of excellence for lexicography in this country, offering comprehensive, authoritative, and richly descriptive coverage of current American English. With 350,000 entries and definitions, NOAD has been the flagship American dictionary of Oxford University Press since publication of the first edition in 2001.
The Third Edition will feature a thoroughly updated text, with revisions based on the latest tools for analysis and the two-billion-word Oxford English Corpus. Approximately 2,000 new words, phrases and meanings have been newly added, including many related to technology, current affairs, and ecology, as well as words that have recently entered the popular lexicon. Words in the current edition have been revised to include new uses. Usage notes have also been thoroughly revised in light of the most recent Corpus evidence.
The text design has been updated to have a more modern look in which most elements (etymologies, phrase sections, etc.) start a new line rather than running on, making each entry easier to read and entire pages easier to navigate. In addition, a new feature on Word Trends illuminates the stories behind those everyday words that have moved fastest and farthest in recent decades.
Entries are organized around core meanings, reflecting the way people think about words and eliminating the clutter and confusion of a traditional dictionary entry. Each entry plainly shows the major meaning(s) of the word, plus any related senses, arranged in intuitive constellations of connected meanings and supplemented by illustrative, in-context usage examples. This is just one of many features that distinguish NOAD from other American dictionaries; others include an easy-to-use respelling pronunciation method, technical notes on scientific areas, and encyclopedic information for selected proper names.
The New Oxford American Dictionary Third Edition continues the tradition of scholarly and lexicographic excellence that has long been the hallmark of Oxford dictionaries. It is an essential resource for everyone who speaks and uses American English.
Six months' access to Oxford's premium online dictionary and thesaurus service is included with this book, so you can get accurate definitions and alternative words wherever you are.
Find out more about our living language using Oxford Dictionaries Online - updated regularly with the latest changes to words and meanings, so you have the most accurate picture of English available. Use the thousands of audio pronunciations to hear how words are spoken. Improve your confidence in writing with helpful grammar and punctuation guides, full thesaurus information, style and usage help, and much more.
Review
"It runs more than 2,000 pages and weighs upward of 800 pounds, so will need one forklift or three sumo wrestlers to hoist it, but you will love this gorilla once you get to know it."--James Kilpatrick, "Writers Life"
"Includes some unique and useful extras."--School Library Journal Curriculum Connections
"NOAD is an eminently usable dictionary with an attractive layout; clear, crisp illustrations; usage guidance; and synonyms with connotations. Sure to be everyone's favorite dictionary! Summing up: Essential."--Choice
"More current than its closest rival in size....This is a 'buy.'"--Booklist STARRED REVIEW
Review
"It runs more than 2,000 pages and weighs upward of 800 pounds, so will need one forklift or three sumo wrestlers to hoist it, but you will love this gorilla once you get to know it."--James Kilpatrick, "Writers Life"
"Includes some unique and useful extras."--School Library Journal Curriculum Connections
"NOAD is an eminently usable dictionary with an attractive layout; clear, crisp illustrations; usage guidance; and synonyms with connotations. Sure to be everyone's favorite dictionary! Summing up: Essential."--Choice
"More current than its closest rival in size....This is a 'buy.'"--Booklist STARRED REVIEW
"Erudite, accessible....If you're looking for a desk dictionary that covers the spectrum of American English, with a fair quantity of encyclopaedic information thrown in, you could do a lot worse." --World Wide Words
"Ms. McKean had been dubbed "America's lexicographical sweetheart" by National Public Rasio's program "Talk of the Nation.""--The New York Times
Reviews for the previous edition: "The gold standard of American dictionaries."--The Providence Journal
"With its unique approach to language, this is easy to use and provides clear, well-written definitions. "--Library Journal.
"Oxford has always been so good at dictionaries, and lexicographical publishing needs a boost after Random House suddenly abandoned the field.... I'd give the New Oxford American Dictionary to a person looking for a quick answer."--William Safire, The New York Times.
"In both definitions and pronounciations the dictionary emphasizes American English.... This is a useful quick-reference type of dictionary."--Houston Chronicle
"The New Oxford American Dictionary offers the most dependable reference information."--Seattle Times.
"Utilizing the latest techniques for analyzing word usage and meaning, the editors have compiled more than 250,000 definitions and 9000 biographical and geographical entries in an accessible resource with a distinctly American voice....An understated presentation exuding precision and authority, it is an essential tool."--School Library Journal [STARRED REVIEW]
"One of the best American-English dictionaries to come out in several years...This is a handy and not overly expensive dictionary to have on hand at the reference desk of academic and public libraries."--American Reference Book Annual 2002
"Its editor, Erin McKean, is, according to American newspaper reports, the hippest and sexiest lexicographer around. It's also the first such work... with an electronic edition accessible on the road, since it can be downloaded to your Palm, Blackberry, or Windows mobile device."--World Wide Words
"Unrivaled etymological information revealing fascinating word histories."--Tampa Tribune
"A labor of love and an unparalelled gift to writers and readers worldwide, the New Oxford American Dictionary should be on the reference shelf of every library." - Library Journal
"Remains true to its initial concent of being an easy-to-use single volume of words that reflect today's soceity...Recommended." --Choice
Synopsis
As Oxford's flagship American dictionary,
the New Oxford American Dictionary sets the standard of excellence for lexicography in this country. With more than 350,000 words, phrases, and senses, hundreds of explanatory notes, and more than a thousand illustrations, this dictionary provides the most comprehensive and accurate coverage of American English available.
The dictionary draws on the two-billion-word Oxford English Corpus and the unrivaled citation files of the world-renowned Oxford English Dictionary to provide the most accurate and richly descriptive picture of American English ever offered in any dictionary. The Third Edition offers a thoroughly updated text, with revisions throughout and approximately 2,000 new words, phrases, and meanings. Many new words relate to fast-moving areas such as computing, technology, current affairs, and ecology, while others have recently entered the popular lexicon. Usage notes have been updated in light of the most recent Corpus evidence, and a completely new in-text feature on Word Trends charts usage for rapidly changing words and phrases such as carbon, mobile, or tweet. In addition, the volume has an attractive, modern new text design that makes entries easier to read and find.
One of the hallmarks of the New Oxford American Dictionary is the way it reflects the living language. Unlike in more traditional dictionaries, where meanings are ordered chronologically according to the history of the language, each entry plainly shows the principal meaning or meanings of the word, organized by importance in today's English. Thus readers can be confident that the first definition they see is the one most likely to be used by people today, and is not a sense that has been obsolete for two centuries.
Offering clear, authoritative, and precise information, with the in-depth and up-to-date coverage that users need and expect, the New Oxford American Dictionary is the benchmark by which all other American dictionaries are measured.
Synopsis
The "New Oxford American Dictionary" sets the standard of excellence for lexicography in this country, offering comprehensive, authoritative, and richly descriptive coverage of current American English, with 350,000 entries and definitions.
Synopsis
The American Heritage Desk Dictionary and Thesaurus combines a dictionary and a thesaurus in a single volume, in a handy split-page design that allows the reader to explore word meanings while searching for just the right synonym.
Synopsis
Combining in a single volume an up-to-date dictionary and a thesaurus, this book offers readers a convenient way to examine dictionary entries and research corresponding synonyms at the same time.
The split-page design displays full dictionary entries on the upper portion of each page and full thesaurus entries on the bottom portion, which makes finding and understanding the right word easier than ever. The thesaurus section of the page is screened to highlight the dual nature of the book, providing quick access to the synonyms that relate to the dictionary entries above.
The dictionary contains 70,000 entries, including extensive coverage of new words and meanings. The thesaurus contains 150,000 synonyms that are alphabetically arranged on each page to correlate with the dictionary entries on the same page.
Wth its unique format and user-friendly features, The American Heritage® Desk Dictionary and Thesaurus is a convenient and invaluable resource on words.
Synopsis
The much-anticipated Fifth Edition of The American Heritageand#174; Dictionary of the English Language is the premier resource about words for people who seek to know more and find fresh perspectives. This dictionary presents the most up-to-date research about the words in our language in an accessible and elegant design. The landmark Fifth Edition contains 10,000 new words and senses, over 4,000 new full-color images, and comprehensive, up-to-date guidance on usage from the celebrated American Heritageand#174; Usage Panel.
Synopsis
The much-anticipated Fifth Edition of
The American Heritageand#174; Dictionary of the English Language is the premier resource about words for people who seek to know more and find fresh perspectives. Exhaustively researched and thoroughly revised, the Fifth Edition contains 10,000 new words and senses, over 4,000 dazzling new full-color images, and authoritative, up-to-date guidance on usage from the celebrated American Heritageand#174; Usage Panel.
In keeping with the American Heritage tradition of cutting-edge research, the Fifth Edition represents the work of a dedicated team of experts, scholars, and contributors. Thousands of definitions have been revised in rapidly changing fields such as astronomy and biology, geographical entries and maps have been completely updated, and the dictionaryand#8217;s signature feature notes on word history, synonymy, and language variation have been enhanced and improved.
Trustworthy advice on controversies and conundrums in English usage is provided by the American Heritage Usage Panel, a group of 200 prominent users of the language. Under the leadership of Steven Pinker, preeminent researcher on language and the mind, the Panel passes judgment on both new and longstanding usage problems. No other dictionary offers such discerning and helpful guidance on issues of usage, grammar, and style.
Word meanings are made easier to understand with thousands of new quotations from classic and contemporary writers. Etymologies explaining word origins and development have been newly created or revised to reflect the very latest scholarship. Many words are traced back to their roots in prehistory through two unique appendixes showing word roots in ancient Indo-European and Semitic.
Reliable, enlightening, and visually stunning, the Fifth Edition of The American Heritageand#174; Dictionary of the English Language gives you the opportunity to make your mark in the best possible way.
About the Author
The Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries are trained lexicographers with a varied array of interests and expertise. Most of the editors hold graduate degrees, and several have degrees in linguistics or in the history of the English language. All the editors familiarize themselves with the vocabulary in specific subject areas, collect materials on new developments and usage, and work in association with consultants to ensure that the content of our publications is as accurate and up-to-date as possible.
Table of Contents
Preface to the Third Edition
Preface to the First Edition
Introduction
How to Use This Dictionary
Key to the Pronunciations
Key to the Abbreviations
The New Oxford American Dictionary
Ready Reference (in center)
Illustration Credits (at back)