Category Archives: Dictionaries
DotW: Berlitz French Compact Dictionary
You can’t buy a dictionary online, or you shouldn’t, anyway; you have to flip through the pages and see if it has the words you want. So, when I found out I was going to be spending several weeks in … Continue reading
DotW: Webster’s New Explorer Rhyming Dictionary
When I began to write about this book That sits upon the shelf above my desk I opened to the front and undertook To seek out funny words, and picturesque. I learned some fun new facts among its leaves Yearling … Continue reading
DotW: Origins
I’m in a bit of a stretch of neglected dictionaries here. The last Dictionary of the Week was the Webster’s New Geographical Dictionary I’d picked up at a used bookstore or something and never used; this week, it’s Origins: A … Continue reading
DotW: Webster’s New Geographical Dictionary
The Webster’s New Geographical Dictionary has been on my shelf for years. I never use it. I write about places sometimes. The other day, I opened it so I could start thinking about writing an entry on it. Having spent … Continue reading
DotW: Collins French
I bet this is the dictionary I’ve owned the longest. My Collins French-English English-French Dictionary is held together with tape. The ends of the pages are worn velvety soft. It’s gotten things written in it that would have seemed very … Continue reading
DotW: A Dictionary of Modern English Usage, 2nd ed.
When I started writing about dictionaries of the week, I said usage guides didn’t count. But I also said I was going to write about Fowler’s anyway, because I love it. This is at least halfway legitimate, because it has … Continue reading
DotW: Pictorial Webster’s
This week’s* dictionary isn’t a collection of word definitions. You know how some dictionaries have neat little black-and-white pictures? I just flipped through my Webster’s and came across illustrations for silhouette, kayak, and nuts. This dictionary is just those images. … Continue reading
DotW: NTC’s New Japanese-English Character Dictionary
Well, here’s one distinction: NTC’s New Japanese-English Character Dictionary is definitely my largest dictionary. It weighs in at 3 lbs, 13 3/8 oz, and it made my life a lot easier in the late 1990s. I acquired this book my … Continue reading
DotW: Engelsk Ordbok
This is a cautionary tale. The last time I went to Norway, one of the things on my shopping list–along with dance shoes, a sweater, and a thermos–was a new dictionary. My most recent Norwegian dictionary was one I had … Continue reading
woodchuck, sockeye, skunk
Woodchuck, sockeye, skunk. What do these words have in common? They’re all originally from Amerindian words. Oxford Dictionaries has a new blog post up about words with Native American origins, some of which I found pretty surprising. If you’re missing … Continue reading