Dictionary Recommendation
November 26, 2015 8:08 AM Subscribe
Looking for a dictionary:
1. As many words (esp. scholarly) as possible.
2. As new as possible
3. Don't need etymologies
4. Don't need thesaurus.
Ideas?
Does it need to be print or can you use something app or web based? If print, do you have size limitations or is something large and possibly multi-volume OK?
posted by brainmouse at 8:14 AM on November 26, 2015
posted by brainmouse at 8:14 AM on November 26, 2015
Professional copy editor here. If I were buying a new basic American dictionary, I'd get the American Heritage Dictionary, Fifth Edition (2011). If I wanted something smaller, I'd get the American Heritage college dictionary, but that's a few years older. Merriam-Webster's collegiate would not be bad, but it's older still. Merriam-Webster's unabridged hasn't been revised in decades. I would avoid any dictionary called "Webster" that isn't from Merriam-Webster.
posted by FencingGal at 8:20 AM on November 26, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by FencingGal at 8:20 AM on November 26, 2015 [4 favorites]
Do you want an English dictionary?
My go-to is the Oxford English Dictionary.
"The 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 Dictionaries of current English, in which the focus is on present-day meanings. You’ll still find present-day meanings 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.
The OED started life more than 150 years ago. Today, the dictionary is in the process of its first major revision. Updates revise and extend the OED at regular intervals, each time subtly adjusting our image of the English language.
The OED today
What’s new: every three months updates revise existing entries and add new words
Free OED: even if you don’t have subscriber access, the OED Online has a great deal to offer"
"September 2015 update
What's new: More than 500 new words, phrases, and senses have entered the Oxford English Dictionary in our latest update, which sees the inclusion of hoverboard, telly addict, and water baby. Find out more >
posted by leahwrenn at 10:20 AM on November 26, 2015 [2 favorites]
My go-to is the Oxford English Dictionary.
"The 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 Dictionaries of current English, in which the focus is on present-day meanings. You’ll still find present-day meanings 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.
The OED started life more than 150 years ago. Today, the dictionary is in the process of its first major revision. Updates revise and extend the OED at regular intervals, each time subtly adjusting our image of the English language.
The OED today
What’s new: every three months updates revise existing entries and add new words
Free OED: even if you don’t have subscriber access, the OED Online has a great deal to offer"
"September 2015 update
What's new: More than 500 new words, phrases, and senses have entered the Oxford English Dictionary in our latest update, which sees the inclusion of hoverboard, telly addict, and water baby. Find out more >
posted by leahwrenn at 10:20 AM on November 26, 2015 [2 favorites]
I'll second the recommendation for the 5th edition of the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. You can check it out online.
The Oxford English Dictionary is great, but it's relatively expensive for individual subscribers: $29.95/month or $295/year. Of course, you could look for someone trying to unload the 20-volume set of the 2nd edition, but that takes up a lot of room. You occasionally find copies of the compact edition floating around (the first edition's pages, reduced to tiny print, with a magnifying glass so you can read it).
If you are a student, faculty, or staff at a college or university, you may have access to the OED via your library.
posted by brianogilvie at 10:27 AM on November 26, 2015
The Oxford English Dictionary is great, but it's relatively expensive for individual subscribers: $29.95/month or $295/year. Of course, you could look for someone trying to unload the 20-volume set of the 2nd edition, but that takes up a lot of room. You occasionally find copies of the compact edition floating around (the first edition's pages, reduced to tiny print, with a magnifying glass so you can read it).
If you are a student, faculty, or staff at a college or university, you may have access to the OED via your library.
posted by brianogilvie at 10:27 AM on November 26, 2015
I need more info. What are you going to use it for? Are you trying to expand vocabulary? Do you just want to have a giant dictionary to impress visitors?
The OED is the gold standard, but unless you just bought a huge bookcase and have nothing to put on it, it's probably overkill.
posted by kevinbelt at 1:18 PM on November 26, 2015
The OED is the gold standard, but unless you just bought a huge bookcase and have nothing to put on it, it's probably overkill.
posted by kevinbelt at 1:18 PM on November 26, 2015
If you want "scholarly" words, it might be worth getting a supplementary specialist dictionary for your field. If a word is used in technical jargon, it may have important meaning or nuance that isn't properly addressed by a standard dictionary.
posted by robcorr at 3:08 PM on November 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by robcorr at 3:08 PM on November 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: If you don't need etymologies/citations (and don't care about words that haven't been used for hundreds of years), the Shorter OED makes a lot more sense than the full OED. (MW vs OED issue aside.)
posted by No-sword at 4:13 PM on November 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by No-sword at 4:13 PM on November 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
Perhaps this piece I wrote on how to buy a dictionary will help:
http://grantbarrett.com/how-to-buy-a-dictionary
Also, I wrote mini-reviews and recommendations for common dictionaries here:
http://www.waywordradio.org/resources/
If nothing else, know that as awesome as it is, OED is both overkill in some ways and insufficient in others for most users.
posted by Mo Nickels at 6:50 AM on November 27, 2015
http://grantbarrett.com/how-to-buy-a-dictionary
Also, I wrote mini-reviews and recommendations for common dictionaries here:
http://www.waywordradio.org/resources/
If nothing else, know that as awesome as it is, OED is both overkill in some ways and insufficient in others for most users.
posted by Mo Nickels at 6:50 AM on November 27, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by andrewcooke at 8:12 AM on November 26, 2015