The Chambers Dictionary

The Chambers Dictionary is the latest edition of a dictionary long recognized as unique - Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary. This new edition confirms and adds its own contribution to this status, the coverage, comprehensiveness and character of Chambers setting it apart as the best single-volume reference of the English language.

With 215 000 references and 300 000 definitions, Chambers reflects the richness and diversity of English from Chaucer to the present day - the sciences, commerce, the media, politics, the environment and many varieties of international English all represented in this treasury of words.

Chambers is a dictionary of unrivalled value to users of English - to students, scholars, writers, journalists, librarians, broadcasters and publishers. It has generous coverage of words of technical importance to scientists, lawyers, accountants and people in business.

Chambers is the official reference dictionary for the UK National Scrabble Championship; it is the favourite dictionary of crossword compilers and solvers; it is the source book for all wordgame players and word lovers.

Clear layout, easy-to-understand definitions, uncomplicated pronunciation guidance, scholarly explanations of word origins, helpful appendix sections - all are features of the most accessible of reference books, The Chambers Dictionary

Completely revised and updated, and designed to be used more for finding the meaning, rather than the spelling, of a word, The Chambers Dictionary is the official dictionary for U.K. Scrabble tournaments and succeeds The Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary of the English language (1952) and The Chambers English Dictionary (1988). It was published in the U.K. in 1993.

Changes from the 1988 edition include the front matter, which no longer provides a justification for Americans using a British dictionary, but rather a commentary on the importance of grammar and standard English. Other changes include a revised list of abbreviations, which reflects modern usage (e.g., labels for American Indian and West African have been added, the label for ablative has been deleted), and addition of a list of rules for English spelling. Main entries include derivatives, compounds, and phrases within a headword's etymological family (a signature characteristic of the Chambers dictionaries), cross-references (215,000), pronunciation keys, alternative forms of headwords, inflections, and part-of-speech and classification labels. Definitions (300,000) are generally ordered from the most common to least common, and abbreviations are alphabetized within the main A-Z text; there are no biographical entries. Appendixes include a list (with meanings) of first names; five pages of phrases and quotations from Latin, Greek, and modern foreign languages; the Greek and Russian alphabet; Roman numerals; books of the Bible; plays of Shakespeare; the chemical elements; temperature and measurement conversions; and international paper sizes.

The 25,000 new entries reflect modern usage (AIDS is now defined under its acronym rather than within the definitions for acquire), science and technology (added words include virtual reality, CD-ROM), current societal concerns (ecotourism, sexual harassment), and even American slang (rad, yo). In the Chambers tradition, definitions are clear, print is small but readable, boldface is effectively used to help find words, and an international focus is evident.

This is a superior dictionary that belongs on the shelves of academic and public libraries, alongside the various American Webster's