Undergraduate Library Reference Collection Resources

College edition of the American dictionary originated by Noah Webster, containing over 225,000 definitions with pronunciations, etymologies and dates of earliest use. Integrated with a thesaurus containing more than 340,000 synonyms, antonyms, related and contrasted words, and idioms. (Part of Encyclopaedia Brittanica Online; look for the search box on the right side of the screen.)

The most complete and authoritative dictionary of the English language. Provides definitions, history, and pronunciation of 600,000 words, past and present, from across the English-speaking world, with over 3 million quotations documenting how and when they have been used over time. Also incorporates the Historical Thesaurus of the OED, where words are arranged by their meaning rather than alphabetically.

English dictionary with over 200,000 entries featuring 10,000 new words and senses 70,000 audio word pronunciations, 900 full-page color illustrations, language notes and word-root appendixes.

Documents regional variation in English language usage in the U.S. in words, phrases, and pronunciations. In addition to providing search capability, the online version of DARE allows you to browse by region using an interactive map. You can also create your own maps, download survey data, and hear audio clips from over 4,000 recordings.

Combined access to Roget’s International Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases (1922 ed.) and Roget’s II: The New Thesaurus (3rd ed., 1995). Provides brief definitions of words, with lists of other words with similar meanings (synonyms) and opposite meanings (antonyms), illustrated by over 2,200 quotations from classic and modern authors.

Provides definitions of a wide variety of acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, and similar contractions, translating them into their full names or meanings.

This general encyclopedia is a great place to get an overview of a topic.

With relatively long entries, this resource is more like an encyclopedia than a dictionary. It is a survey of the history of Western thought and culture, presented through 700 alphabetically arranged entries. Each entry explores the origin, cultural interpretations, and historical themes of such subjects as beauty, love, feminism, diversity, and social capital, among many others.

Facts and statistics covering politics, current events, geography, history, business, sports, entertainment, weather, science, health, etc.

This is a place to look for government statistics.

Polling data from nearly 400,000 questions asked on national public opinion surveys from Roper, Gallup, Harris, various news media, and other research organizations. A great source for how people feel about controversial topics.