Compact American Dictionary: A Concise Dictionary of American English

The editors of the American Heritage(R) Dictionary offer readers this handy, up-to-date reference in a unique, practical format. With nearly 70,000 entries, including 35,000 main headwords, the dictionary invites frequent use. Included are new terms such as "biodiversity" and "World Wide Web", current geographic and biographical terms, and concise definitions.

The Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries and of other reference titles published by Houghton Mifflin Company are trained lexicographers with a varied array of interests and expertise. Most of the editors hold graduate degrees and have studied at least one foreign language. Several have degrees in linguistics or in the history of the English language. Others have degrees in science or sometimes other disciplines. All the editors familiarize themselves with the vocabulary in specific subject areas, collect materials on new developments and usage, and work in association with consultants to ensure that the content of our publications is as accurate and as up-to-date as possible.