The New Oxford American Dictionary by
Produced by Oxford's American Dictionaries Program, and drawing on the expertise of scores of American scholars and advisors, The New Oxford American Dictionary sets the standard of excellence for lexicography in this country. Here is the most accurate and richly descriptive picture of American English ever offered in any dictionary. Oxford's American editors drew on our 200-million-word databank of contemporary North American English, plus the unrivaled citation files of the world-renowned Oxford English Dictionary. Westarted with American evidence--an unparalleled resource unique to Oxford. Our staff logged more than 50 editor-years, checking every entry and every definition. Oxford's ongoing North American Reading Program, begun in the early 1980s, keeps our lexicographers in touch with fresh evidence of ourlanguage and usage--in novels and newspapers, in public records and magazines, and on-line, too. To provide unprecedented clarity, the 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 or meanings of the word, plus any related senses,arranged in intuitive constellations of connected meanings. Definitions are supplemented by illustrative, in-context examples of actual usage. This major new edition of The New Oxford American Dictionary includes a guide to the pronunciations on every page, a new etymology essay by Anatoly Liberman, completely updated and revised maps, and more than a thousand new entries, covering everything new in our language from low-carb to warblogand beyond. This edition of The New Oxford American Dictionary also includes a lexicographical first--a portable version of the entire dictionary that can be downloaded to your PDA or smartphone! Have the authority of The New Oxford American Dictionary at your fingertips, wherever you are. Keep the printedition by your favorite reading chair and download the portable version to your phone or PDA, and you'll never be at a loss for words. All Oxford American dictionaries use an easy-to-use respelling system to show how entries are pronounced. It uses simple, familiar markings to represent common American English sounds. The New Oxford American Dictionary is designed to serve the user clearly, simply, and quickly, with the precise guidance you expect from Oxford University Press. With in-depth and up-to-date coverage that all users need and expect--for reading and study, for technical terms, for languageguidance--it continues the tradition of scholarship and lexicographic excellence that are the hallmarks of every Oxford dictionary. Web Site A companion web site is now available at a href="http://www.oup.com/us/noad/" www.oup.com/us/noad./a
The Browser's Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases by
From angst to zydeco, the ultimate guide to foreign terms and phrases English is not only the most widely spoken language in the world, it is also the most dynamic. And one of the chief sources of its enormous vitality is the many foreign words and phrases with which it is continually enriched. The ultimate guide for writers, editors, and word-lovers of every ilk, The Browsers Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases is an A-to-Z compendium of 2,000 loan-words currently used in English speech and writing. It includes words from around the world, for instance: rapprochement, macho, and imbroglio (France, Spain, and Italy); gestalt and zeitgeist (Germany); gulag and apparatchik (Russia); shibboleth (Hebrew); purdah and bungalow (Hindi); loofah (Arabic); netsuke (Japan); and thousands more. Each entry provides a guide to pronunciation, literal and idiomatic definitions, and some offer short examples of how the word is used by contemporary speakers and authors. Mary Varchaver (Hastings, NY) is a freelance writer, researcher, and editor. She is also the coauthor, along with Frank Ledlie Moore of The Dictionary of the Performing Arts.
The American Sign Language Handshape Dictionary by
This unique reference can help users locate a sign whose meaning they have forgotten, or help them find the meaning of a new sign they have just seen for the first time. It organizes more than 1,900 ASL signs by 40 basic handshapes and includes detailed descriptions on how to form these signs to represent the different English words that they might mean. Users can begin to track down a sign by determining whether it is formed with one hand or two. Further distinctions of handshape, palm orientation, location, movement, and nonmanual signals help them pinpoint their search while also refining their grasp of ASL syntax and grammar. A complete English word index provides the option of referring to an alphabetical listing of English terms to locate an equivalent sign or choice of signs. This dictionary features: More than 1,900 sign illustrations, organized by handshape Complete index of English vocabulary for all signs An introduction to Deaf culture and ASL structure The American Sign Language Handshape Dictionary is a one-of-a-kind resource for learning ASL and enhancing communication skills in both ASL and English.
The American Heritage College Dictionary by
With 7,500 new words and senses, along with 2,500 new illustrations, the Fourth Edition is the most up-to-date college dictionary available. Along with all of the in-depth features and expert usage guidance that readers have come to expect from American Heritage®, the Fourth Edition includes an updated Appendix of Indo-European roots and a helpful new style guide for writers.
