Random House Webster's College Dictionary - Hardcover

Random House

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0375425608 ISBN 13: 9780375425608

Publisher: Random House Reference, 2000

Synopsis

The easiest to use. Unlike some dictionaries, Random House Webster’s always lists a word’s most common definitions first, so the meaning you need is easy to find.

The best guidance on word usage. Extensive usage notes in dictionaries, example sentences and synonym studies in thesauruses, clear warnings about sensitive and offensive language. Only Random House Webster’s gives you the words you need and the means to use them well.

All-in-one reference. Ready-reference tables, spelling and punctuation rules, maps, writer’s guides, and other helpful reference materials are included in Random House Webster’s reference books.

The newest words. For over 50 years Random House Webster’s has included the newest words and meanings before any other dictionary. The first college dictionary to include baby-sit (1947) and Internet (1995) now includes B2B, hottie, and more.

Find the Right Word
· More new words than any other dictionary including B2B, bazillion, bleeding edge, cross-post, dot-commer, hotlink, hottie, identity theft, microbrowser, Mifeprex, push poll, streaming, and WML
· Over 207,000 clear definitions with full coverage of words you need, all in A-Z text for easy look-up
· The most common meanings given first to find the right meaning faster

Choose the Right Word
· The clearest advice on avoiding offensive language helps you choose your words carefully
· Extensive coverage of slang, informal, and formal words gives you the right word for every situation

Use the Right Word
· Expert guidance in hundreds of special notes that clearly explain grammar questions, confusable synonyms, common spelling errors, tricky pronunciations, and more
· Easy-to-use writer's guide takes the guesswork out of expressing yourself clearly

Plus
· Up-to-the-minute biographical and geographical entries
· Hundreds of illustrations
· Abbreviations
· Foreign terms
· Over 27 pages of maps and tables
· Signs and symbols
· Presidents
· Holidays
· And more

About this title

Review

Webster's annually updated dictionary offers an outstanding blend of new-millennium lingo and the classic words and origins of the English language. For instance, it includes extensive computer terminology, such as bot, cookie, and terabyte, as well as cyberjargon, such as clicks-and-mortar ("adj. pertaining to being a company that does business on the Internet and in traditional stores or offices"). It even has slang listings for my bad! ("slang. my fault! my mistake!") and senior moment ("n. ((often facetious)) a brief lapse in memory or moment of confusion, esp. in an older person"). Inclusions like these appeal especially to generation X and even generation Y ("n. the generation born in the 1980s and 1990s, especially in the United States").

Readers of all generations will appreciate the numerous tutorials, such as "Guide for Writers" and "Avoiding Offensive Language," as well as the latest political and geographical updates. Including the computer lingo and trendy slang is definitely edgy ("adj. daringly innovative; on the cutting edge"). But, when it comes to being a solid reference tool, it's the sophisticated definitions, line drawings, maps, charts, essays, and usage advice that make Webster's dictionary unequivocally candy ("slang. someone or something that is excellent. pleasing or pleasurable"). --Gail Hudson

From the Back Cover

"Best desktop Hardcover Dictionary."
-- Hammacher-Schlemmer

"Since the purpose of a dictionary is to provide definitions of difficult, unusual and new words, Random House Webster's College Dictionary succeeds."
-- Booklist

Edition details

• Publisher: Random House Reference
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0375425608
• ISBN 13: 9780375425608
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 1600