Online Encyclopedias & Dictionaries

 

·        American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
This unabridged dictionary from Houghton Mifflin, 2000, and Bartleby.com, 2000, contains over 350,000 entries.  Search by entry word or full text.

 

·        The Britannica Concise

This free short-entry encyclopedia does not have as much content as the full Encyclopaedia Britannica (it's based on the one-volume printed Merriam-Webster Collegiate Encylopedia), but it does offer a searchable and browsable collection of more than 25,000 entries on a variety of topics. Plus, it's free!

 

·        Catholic Encyclopedia
The original 1913 edition of the Catholic Encyclopedia [Ref. BX 841 .C25] is being transcribed into electronic form by volunteers.

 

·        The Columbia Encyclopedia: Sixth Edition
This is an online version of the current (year 2000) edition of the Columbia Encyclopedia, a one volume, short-entry encyclopedia with over 50,000 entries.

 

·        Dictionary.com
     http://www.dictionary.com/
Consists of a search engine and a directory with additional choices such as a word-of-the-day, daily crossword and word search puzzles, and writing resources.  Definitions for words are drawn from many Internet sources such as Free Online Dictionary of Computing, American Heritage Dictionary, 4th edition, made available by Bartleby.com,  Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, and WordNet from Princeton University.

 

·        Encyberpedia
An annotated listing of subject-oriented encyclopedias available on the Web.

 

·        Encyclopedia Smithsonian
"The Smithsonian Institution receives a great many public inquiries covering a wide range of topics. Therefore, the following responses have been compiled to answer frequently asked questions or to provide guidance in finding the requested information. New information will be added continually." Topics covered: Armed Forces History, Anthropology, Mineral Sciences, Musical History, Physical Sciences, Services, Textiles Conservation, Transportation History, and Vertebrate Zoology.

 

·        Encyclopedia.Com

"Based on The Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia.com provides current information available in all major fields of knowledge -- from politics, law, art, and history to sports, literature, geography, science, and medicine. More than 17,000 articles provide free, quick and useful information on almost any topic. Through extensive cross-referencing, users have the option of expanding their research through direct links to other articles within the Encyclopedia.com site and to other related web sites." Note: the articles are rather short, and although the basic articles are free, they contain links to materials from HighBeam Research, for which a fee is charged for access.

 

·        The Free Dictionary
This website provides access to English, Medical, Legal, and Computer Dictionaries, a Thesaurus, Encyclopedia, a Literature Reference Library, and a Search Engine all in one.

 

·        Infoplease: All the Knowledge You Need
Online version of the popular annual Time Almanac. You can browse by topic or search. All-in-one encyclopedia, almanac, dictionary, thesaurus, atlas, and biography reference! Includes the Random House Websters College Dictionary and the Columbia Encyclopedia.

 

·        LoveToKnow 1911 Edition Encyclopedia
This free online encyclopedia is based on the eleventh edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Each entry, written by an expert in the field, contains a detailed article and bibliography. Users can look for articles alphabetically or search the site.

 

·        Medical Dictionary
The dictionary available on the MEDLINEplus Health Information site is the Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary
.

·        Microsoft Encarta Concise Encyclopedia

"A free concise encyclopedia that contains 16,000 articles and more than 2,200 photos, illustrations, maps, charts, and tables." (Paying subscribers can access the more complete MSN Learning & Research Plus with Encarta, for which a free trial is also available.)

 

·        Roget’s II: The New Thesaurus, 3rd ed.
From Bartleby.com this is Houghton Mifflin's 1996 thesaurus and Bartleby.com's 2000 thesaurus.  This   electronic version contains 35,000 synonyms in addition to short definitions.  Search for a word or browse the alphabetical arrangement.

 

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