Internet: Dictionaries

There are two free online dictionary sites to which I have turned time, and time again; each has some features which I really like:

The first is: http://www.onelook.com/ and the second is: http://yourdictionary.com/ .

Each of these sites offers great utility and will search single words across many different dictionaries, both general language and subject specific. Each of them either has information about languages within it, or contains likes to information about the history and foundation of many different languages, both living and dead. Both of them also offers translations for words (not, alas, phrases) from any one language to any other language.

Included are entomologies, synonyms, homonyms, antonyms and all the rest of the scholarly aspects of words and languages. But basically, they are web sites which are both very useful and fun and easy to use. The BSU Library also has a subscription to the Oxford English Dictionary which is the biggest and best dictionary of the English language. Go to the Library’s home page, select Article Indexes and Databases and scroll to the letter “O” to find it.

Adrien Taylor, Reference Librarian