Websters dictionary
Online Webster’s Dictionary: A compiled list of words, with their definitions or corresponding words in other languages is called a dictionary. Most dictionaries provide information on pronunciation, grammar, history and etymology or word origin. They also offer examples of usage in sentences. Dictionaries list the words in the alphabetical order. The unabridged Webster’s Third New International Dictionary contains almost half a million words, including new additions and their meanings. It is descriptive in style, as in the second edition. It is available in hardcover packs, with an accompanying CD and a free one year subscription to the website. It describes words using multiple contexts and in short sentences that explore the meaning, as used in different word forms.
The online Webster’s dictionary has all these features. It contains articles and news related to language and word usage, an online store and a resource, especially for the Spelling Bees. The online Webster’s dictionary site also has a daily crossword, word puzzles and word games, daily buzzwords for kids, the learner's word of the day and an online word search that is free. There is a Thesaurus lookup as well.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary: The Merriam-Webster online site is owned by the reputed publishing house of Merriam Webster, which continues a tradition that began with the first American dictionary, compiled by Noah Webster called A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language. It was published in 1806 and he became the first documenter of American words, with simplified spelling. For example, center instead of centre and plow for plough. In 1828, he published a Dictionary of the American English Language, complete with 70,000 words. Today’s Merriam Webster Dictionary is a direct descendent of this original. George and Charles Merriam, in 1831, opened a printing and bookselling business in Springfield, Massachusetts. This business was renamed Merriam Webster Inc. in 1982. The Merriam brothers, at the time, bought the unsold copies of the 1841 edition of Webster’s Dictionary from heirs. Webster's son, William, was the editor of the first Merriam-Webster Dictionary, published in 1847. Merriam-Webster introduced the Collegiate Dictionary in 1898. Initially, it was just an abridgement of the unabridged original. In the 9th edition, the Collegiate incorporated some changes, making it a separate entity and not just an abridgement. Dates of the first known citation for each of the words were included, to document the entry of the words into the English language.
Webster’s New World Dictionary: The World Publishing Company of Ohio first published the Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language, by the House of John Wiley & Sons, in 1951. The Webster’s New World Dictionary is distinctive for its detailed etymology, that is, the origin of words and their development. It also includes a distinct system of labeling the words that are completely American.
Other resources: The websites for most of the dictionaries offer the Thesaurus search options, as well as a Spanish-English dictionary. Merriam-Webster also publishes the Garfield Dictionary designed for the child, easy and fun to learn from. There is also a Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary that provides references and meanings for medical terminology and health conditions, compositions of pharmaceutical drugs, usage of healthcare equipment and medical devices and meanings of medical jargon and abbreviations.