Dictionaries
These dictionaries were compiled with college students and their needs in mind. Illustrations, basic rules of grammar, word histories and synonyms are often provided. Several titles are designed for International Students.
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The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
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Call Number: R 423 A512 2011Publication Date: 2011-11-01This dictionary features clear, easy to read print, understandable definitions, and excellent illustrations. Overall, this is a very user friendly work now in its fifth edition. For students who want to purchase a print dictionary American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language is a good candidate. -
Chambers Dictionary
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Call Number: R 423 C444 2003Publication Date: 2003-09-26Chambers is a British English Dictionary. It is an excellent tool for students who first learned British English or American students seeking British definitions. Chambers is known for having a sense of humor, see the definition for the hair style know as a "mullet." -
New Oxford American Dictionary
Call Number: R 423.1 N532 2005Publication Date: 2005-05-19To 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. -
American Heritage Thesaurus for Learners of English
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Call Number: R 428.1 L441a 2002Publication Date: 2002-10-15Learning to use synonyms in another language can be hard, challenging, complicated, even trying. This unique reference, the only book of its kind in the U.S. market, contains more than 6,000 synonyms that have been carefully chosen for their usefulness to students of English, both intermediate and advanced. Every synonym has a short, clear definition that helps distinguish it from other synonyms in its group and its own example sentence showing proper usage and clarifying shades of meaning. A useful appendix includes thematic word groups, a list of frequently misspelled words, irregular verbs, and information on common idioms, sound-alikes, and other areas of difficulty for English learners. (from the publisher) -
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's English Dictionary
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Call Number: R 423.1 M568 2008Publication Date: 2008-09-01In the Introduction, the publisher, Merriam-Webster, provides the student with extensive information on how best to use this dictionary. It is well worth reading. The definitions provide examples of how the word is used. The Grammar Review found in back is an excellent feature designed to provide a quick review of basic concerns with correct usage of English Grammar. -
The American Heritage Dictionary for Learners of English
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Call Number: R 423 A5115 2002Publication Date: 2002-10-15"Specially designed to meet the needs of ESL students, this Dictionary is a necessity for anyone seeking to learn and use American English effectively. Its many distinctive features include: Clear and precise definitions adapted from the acclaimed American Heritages Dictionary; Extensive vocabulary, fully up-to-date for the 21st century; Abundant idioms and example sentences; Word Building Notes and Usage Notes with expanded information on vocabulary; More comprehensive grammar information than any comparable dictionary; A wealth of informative photographs and illustrations; and New Reference and Study Guide offering convenient help with basic English grammar, style, and much more."--BOOK JACKET.
Visual Dictionaries
A visual dictionary uses pictures to illustrate the meaning of words and are often organized by themes.
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The Firefly Five Language Visual Dictionary
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Call Number: 413.1 C789f 2009Publication Date: 2009-09-0135,000 terms per language and 6,000 color illustrations. Unparalleled in its scope and detail, The Firefly Five-Language Visual Dictionary features 6,000 color illustrations labeled with 35,000 terms in each of English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. Each key word or phrase is connected to an illustration that makes identification and translation quick and accurate. The entries have been thoroughly updated to include the newest and most relevant subjects, and they feature up-to-date images and current terminology across all five languages. -
Oxford-Duden Pictorial German-English DictionaryCall Number: R 433.2 O98Publication Date: 1980-08-21
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The Facts on File English-French Visual Dictionary byCall Number: R 443.1 C789fPublication Date: 1987-11-01
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The Facts on File English-Spanish Visual Dictionary byCall Number: F 463.2 C789fISBN: 0816015465:Publication Date: 1992-08-01Here is the ultimate bilingual reference work for students, educators, or simply curious minds of all ages.
Online Dictionaries
A wide variety of free online dictionary are currently available. Consider bookmarking one or two you find helpful. Many online dictionaries provide audio files of correct pronunciation, which is helpful for American and International students alike.
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Dictionary.com | Find the Meanings and DefinitionsThis online dictionary is popular with Berea students and it can easily be added as a search to your Mozilla browser. The site also has a handy thesaurus.
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Merriam-Webster OnlineMerriam Webster is a noted American dictionary publisher. This online edition features audio files of English pronunciation. The website also provides a thesaurus.
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Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new windowThe Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is widely regarded as the accepted authority on the English language. It is an unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of 600,000 words— past and present—from across the English-speaking world.
As a historical dictionary, the OED is very different from those of current English, in which the focus is on present-day meanings. You’ll still find these in the OED, but you’ll also find the history of individual words, and of the language—traced through 3 million quotations, from classic literature and specialist periodicals to film scripts and cookery books.
Idioms and Slang
Slang is defined as very informal language that is used especially by people who belong to a particular group. An idiom is an expression with a meaning that cannot be understood from the individual words. Examples are "kick the bucket", "fly off the handle" or "paint the town red."
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The Cassell Dictionary of Slang
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ISBN: 0304344354Publication Date: 1999-05-01This volumes offers 60,000 entries defining the slang used from Elizabethan England to the 1990s. It spans the English-speaking world, including Britain, North America, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Included is the slang used by Victorian criminals in Victorian London, modern drug culture, profanity, rhyming slang and human sexuality. -
The Routledge Dictionary of Modern American Slang and Unconventional English
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Publication Date: 2008-08-05'The Routledge Dictionary of Modern American Slang and Unconventional English' is a comprehensive resource of modern American Slang. Informative, entertaining and sometimes shocking, this dictionary includes 25,000 entries covering a wide range of topics. -
NTC's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
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Call Number: R 427.973 S741nPublication Date: 2000-01-11This work contains more than 8000 entries in a convenient topical arrangement and combines the best features of a dictionary and a thesaurus. The book includes a topical and an alphabetical index. -
American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms
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Call Number: R 423.1 A518aPublication Date: 1997-04-01Covering almost ten thousand idioms and phrases, a reference work on common American vocabulary and idiomatic expressions defines each entry and provides a contextual sentence. -
Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English
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Call Number: R 427.976 M788dPublication Date: 2004-04-01Often considered merely a repository of archaic or even Elizabethan English, the language of southern Appalachia represents a distinctive American dialect that is both conservative and innovative. This dictionary marks the first comprehensive, historical record of the traditional speech of this region. Focusing on the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee and western North Carolina, it features more than six thousand names, usages, meanings, and folk expressions that are found in the region, exemplified by more than fifteen thousand documented quotations.
