LibGuides: Reference: Dictionaries

Online Resources

Free Online Dictionaries

Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) This link opens in a new window A dictionary of words, phrases, and pronunciations that vary from one place to another place across the United States including regional pronunciations, variant forms, regional and social distributions of the words and phrases.

Dictionary of Wisconsin History This Dictionary explains more than 8,000 terms (people, places, things, and events) used in writings about Wisconsin history. (Wisconsin Historical Society)
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary Look up a definition, pronunciation, etymology, spelling, or usage point in the on-line version of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.
OneLook Dictionary OneLook is a search engine with access to over 20 million words across more than 1,000 online dictionaries. Not only can you find the definition of a word, but you can also search for words based upon a description. This site is also designed to find words that may be hard to spell.

Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window Includes the complete contents of the Second Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, additional volumes published from 1993-97 and quarterly releases. Each entry contains the word's etymology, definition, part of speech, date of origination, pronunciation, cross-references, and quotations.

YourDictionary.com
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An index of on-line dictionaries, thesauri, and other word/phrase reference works. Search a general or specialized word in English or foreign-language dictionaries. Links to other creditable dictionaries, glossaries and wordlists available on the Web.

About Dictionaries

DICTIONARIES

Dictionaries provide and alphabetical arrangement of words with their definitions, pronunciations, etymology spelling, syllabication, parts of speech, usage, etc. Dictionaries can be general or they may focus on a specific topic such as philosophy or medicine.

Language Dictionaries

The UWSP library owns a number language dictionaries. These are a type of general dictionaries which provide the definitions, pronunciations, usage, etc. for a specific language. There are also dictionaries which will translate words in one language to the same word in a different language. Below are a few examples of language dictionaries available at the UWSP library.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary
Call Number: Ref. PE1628 .C68 2011
ISBN: 9780199601080
American Sign Language Handshape Dictionary
Call Number: Ref. HV2475 .T46 2010
ISBN: 9781563684449
French-English Dictionary
Call Number: Ref. PC2640 .F74 2006
ISBN: 9780764133305
The University of Chicago Spanish-English Dictionary
Call Number: Ref. PC4640 .U5 2012
ISBN: 9780226666952

Subject Dictionaries

Subject dictionaries can be used to look up words specific to a certain topic. A few examples that are available at the UWSP library are listed below. You can also search for other subject dictionaries by using Search@UW.

Dictionary of Developmental Disabilities Terminology
Call Number: Ref. RJ135 .A26 2011
ISBN: 9781598570700
Dictionary of Food Ingredients
Call Number: Ref. TX551 .I26 2011
ISBN: 9781441997128
The Facts on File Dictionary of Cliches
Call Number: Ref. PE1689 .A48 2011
ISBN: 9780816083534
Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels
Call Number: Ref. BS2555.52 .D53 2013
ISBN: 9780830824564

Electronic Books

E-Book Dictionaries

Black's Medical Dictionary by Harvey Marcovitch (Editor)
ISBN: 9781849725965
Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable by Camilla Rockwood (Editor)
ISBN: 9781849725255
The Cambridge Dictionary of Christian Theology by McFarland, Ian A. (et al) (editor)
ISBN: 9781780343709
Collins English-Polish Dictionary by Jacek Fisiak (Editor)
ISBN: 9781849729383
Dictionary of Policing by Tim Newburn (Editor); Peter Neyroud (Editor)
ISBN: 1849724660