American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language

This American Heritage Dictionary is an invitation to the pleasures of language, bringing you the richness of English, from its ancient roots to the color, variety, and complexity of its present-day vocabulary. The meanings of the words are written in clear and exact language, set in a typeface that his handsome and easy to read. There are no mystifying abbreviations or symbols to decipher. Thousands of quotations from the finest writers illuminate and add depth to the meanings. To ease the reader's search for the right sense, the most commonly sought meanings are listed first, within the entries. A single, alphabetical list is designed for accessibility. The pages of this third edition of the American Heritage Dictionary are spacious in design. Nearly 4,000 pieces of art help bring the English language alive. These are black-and-white photographs, line drawings, and maps. This distinctive interaction of words and graphics makes this third edition an inviting companion to the inquiring mind. Readers seeking guidance on usage will find an abundance of help. There are many usage notes and comments. These observations reflect the opinions of the renowned American Heritage Usage Panel, an assembly of 173 distinguished authors, editors, professors, and public speakers. These notes reflect the results of completely new research in linguistics. This American Heritage Dictionary, the third edition, delves more deeply than any other American dictionary into the history of English. For example, there are hundreds of "Word History" paragraphs. These histories explain important social and historical influences that combine with linguistic processes to shape the development of words. For the reader interested in tracing our language to its origins, the new revised Appendix of Indo-European Roots reaches back 6,000 years to the ancestral beginnings of English. Fascinating Regional American English Notes explore the distinctive, often colorful, vocabulary used only in specific geographic areas of the United States. A wealth of Synonym Paragraphs provides shades of meaning and antonyms. Using this reference tool gives the reader just the right word for the occasion.