College Dictionaries 1 You’re
probably most familiar with college dictionaries, often called abridged
dictionaries. Although abridged means" shortened", these dictionaries contain
more than 150, 000 entries and provide detailed definitions that are sufficient
for most college students and general users. College dictionaries also contain
separate lists of abbreviations, biographical and geographical names, foreign
words and phrases, and tables of measures. Webster’s Ⅱ New Riverside University
Dictionary and the American Heritage , Dictionary of the English Language are
college dictionaries. 2 Unabridged dictionaries contain as many
as 500, 000 entries and provide detailed definitions and extensive word
histories (etymologies). These dictionaries, possibly in several volumes and
mostly found in libraries, are excellent sources for scholarly inquiries. Una
bridged dictionaries include the Oxford English Dictionary and the Random House
Dictionary of the English Language. 3 A dictionary entry has
many elements: multiple definitions, syllabication, preferred spelling and
pronunciation (some words have more than one acceptable spelling and
pronunciation), and part-ofspeech labels. Some entries also include plurals and
capitalized forms, synonyms, antonyms, and derivatives. Americanisms and
etymologies may be provided along with usage notes, cross-references, and
idioms. 4 If you prefer using the dictionary on a computer, you
can obtain CD-ROM versions of many major dictionaries. In addition, you can
access numerous dictionaries, such as Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, on the
Internet. Online dictionaries allow you to enter a search word(you even get help
with spelling)to see a definition, and sometimes even an illustration. Online
dictionaries also offer additional features, such as word games, Language tips,
and amusing facts about words. Some online dictionary services allow you to
access numerous dictionaries, both general and specialized, in on
search. 5 Specialized dictionaries provide in-depth information
about a certain field. For example, there are dictionaries for the specialized
vocabularies of law, computer technology, and medicine. In addition, there are
dictionaries of synonyms, cliches, slang, and even regional expressions, such as
the Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE). There are also dictionaries
of foreign languages, famous people’s names, literary characters’ names and
place names. A. Varieties of college dictionaries
B. Accessing dictionaries electronically C. Elements
under a word item D. Complete editions of
dictionaries E. Using dictionaries for particular
fields F. Features of college dictionaries Paragraph 4______