A Sampling of Dictionaries
English Language Dictionaries

This is a sampling of different kinds of dictionaries, most of which are available in the reference section of the Hewes Library at Monmouth College, Monmouth, Illinois. This document was placed on the web by Prof. Tom Sienkewicz for his students in CLAS224 Word Elements at Monmouth College. If you have any questions about this document, you can contact him at toms@monm.edu.

See also: Some Recent Dictionary Acquisitions in the Hewes Library

Dictionary of the English language. Johnson, Samuel, 1709-1784. London: Times Books, 1979. Notes Reprint of the 1755 ed. printed by W. Strahan, London.
A dictionary with more than 40,000 entries which was a primary reference source for scholars and writers of the 18^th and 19^th century.
Ref PE1620 .J6 1979

Oxford English Dictionary. Simpson, J. A. and E. S. C. Weiner, eds. Oxford [England]: Clarendon Press ; New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.
Ref PE 1625 .N53 1933

Foreign Language Dictionaries

Oxford Latin Dictionary. Glare, P. G. W. Oxford [Oxfordshire]: Clarendon Press; New York: Oxford University Press, 1982, c1968-c1982.
Ref. PA2365.E5 O9 1982

Etymological Dictionaries

Asimov, Isaac. Words from History. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1968.
Ref. PE1574 .A8

Morris, William, and Mary Morris. Dictionary of word and phrase origins. . New York: Harper & Row. 2nd ed. [1988]. Ref. PE1580 .M6 1988

Shipley, Joseph Twadell, Dictionary of word origins. New York: The Philosophical Library [1945]
Ref PE1580 .S45

Specialized Dictionaries

Adams, Ramon F. Western Words; a dictionary of the American West Norman, Okla.: University of Oklahoma Press [1968]
Ref. PE2970.W4 A3 1968

Adeleye, Gabriel and Kofi Acquah-Dadzie. World Dictionary of Foreign Expressions: A Resource for Readers and Writers, edited by Thomas J. Sienkewicz. Wauconda, Ill.: Bolchazy-Carducci, 1999.
Ref. PE1582.A3 A34 1999

American Heritage English as a Second Language Dictionary.  Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998.  Ref PE1628 .A6235 1998.

Auchter, Dorothy.  Dictionary of Historical Allusions & Eponyms.  Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 1998.  Ref PN43 .A83 1998.

Blevins, Winfred.  Dictionary of the American West.  New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1993.  
Ref PE2970 .W4 B5 1992.

Cassidy, Frederic Gomes .Dictionary of American Regional English
  Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1985-
Ref. PE2843.D52 1985 v.2

Chapman,  Robert L., Ed.Dictionary of American Slang, 3^rd Ed.  NY: HarperCollins, 1997.  
Ref PE2846 .C46 1995.

Coombs, J. Dictionary of Biotechnology.  New York : Stockton Press, c1992.
Ref. TP248.16.C66 1992

Craigie, William A. Sir, and Hulbert, James Root. A dictionary of American English on historical principles.  Chicago, Ill.: The University of Chicago Press [1938- ].
Ref. PE2835 .C7

Dalgish, Gerard M, Ed. Random House Webster’s Dictionary of American English.  New York: Random House, 1997. 
Ref  PE1628 .R2943 1997.

Dalzell, Tom.  The Slang of Sin. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 1998.
Ref PE2846 .D35 1998.

Danner, Horace Gerald and Roger Noel. Thesaurus of Word Roots of the English Language. Forward by Thomas J. Sienkewicz. Lanham, Maryland, University Press of America, Inc., 1992.  Ref PE1580 .D36 1992. 

A Dictionary of ancient Greek civilisation. London, Methuen, 1967.
Ref. DF16 .D513

DK Illustrated Oxford Dictionary. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Ref  PE1629 .D5 1998.

Erickson, Glenn W. and John A. Fossa. Dictionary of Paradox.   Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1998.  
Ref BC199 .P2 E75 1998.

Garner, Bryan A.. A Dictionary of Modern American Usage. Oxford, New York. Oxford University Press. 1998. PE 2827.G37.1998.

Gotch, A.F. Latin Names Explained, a Guide to the Scientific Classification of Reptiles, Birds & Mammals. New York, NY. Facts On File, Inc. 1996. QL9.G67. 1996

Grambs, David. Dimboxes, epopts, and other quidams: real words for real people. New York: Workman Pub., 1986.
Ref. PE1447 .G7 1986

Haubrich, William S.  Medical Meanings: a glossary of word origins.  Philadelphia: American College of Physicians, 1997. 
Ref R123 .H29 1997.

Hendrickson, Robert. Mountain Range: a dictionary of expressions from Appalachia to the Ozarks.   New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1997.  
Ref PE2970 .A6 H46 1997.

Herbst, Philip H. The Color of Words: an encyclopaedic dictionary of ethnic bias in the United States.  Yarmouth, Maine: Intercultural Press, Inc., 1997.
Ref E184 .A1 H466 1997. 

Hobbs, James B. Homophones and Homographs An American Dictionary. Jefferson, North Carolina and London. McFarland & Company, Inc. 1999. PE2833.H63. 1999

Huber, Jeffrey T. Dictionary of AIDS related terminology. New York : Neal-Schuman, c1993.
Includes definitions of over 1000 abbreviations and acronyms, historical and medical terms, key names, and sources of information found in discussions of AIDS and HIV.
Ref. RC607.A26 H895 1993

Major, Clarence. Dictionary of Afro-American Slang.  New York: International Publishers [1970]
Ref. PE3727.N4 M3

Major, Clarence, Ed. Juba to Jive: A Dictionary of African-American Slang.   New York: Penguin Books, 1994. 
Ref PE3727 .N4 M34 1994.

Morwood, James. A Dictionary of Latin Words And Phrases. Oxford, New York. Oxford University Press. 1998. PA2365.E5M667. 1998

Neaman, Judith S. and Carole G. Silver. Kind words : a thesaurus of euphemisms, New York, N.Y.: Facts on File Publications, c1983.
Ref. PE1449 .N34 1983

Partridge, Eric. A dictionary of slang and unconventional English; colloquialisms and catch-phrases, solecisms and catachreses, nicknames, vulgarisms and such Americanisms as have been naturalized.  New York: Macmillan, 1984. 8th ed.
Ref. PE3721 .P3 1984

Pugh, Eric. A Dictionary of Acronyms & Abbreviations: some abbreviations in management, technology and information science.  London: Bingley,1968.
Ref T8 .P8 1968

Richter, Alan . Dictionary of sexual slang : words, phrases, and idioms from AC/DC to zig-zig. New York : Wiley, c1993.
REF HQ9.R53 1993

Ruffner, Frederick G. and Thomas, Robert C. Code names dictionary; a guide to code names, slang, nicknames, journalese, and similar terms: aviation, rockets and missiles, military, aerospace, meteorology, atomic energy, communications, and others.  Detroit: Gale Research Co. [1963]
Ref. PE1693 .R9

Saussy, George Stone. The Oxter English Dictionary: Uncommon Words Used by Uncommonly Good Writers.  New York, NY: Facts on File, c1984.
Ref. PE1449 .S288 1984

Smitherman, Geneva.  Black Talk: Words and Phrases from the Hood to the Amen Corner.   New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1994. 
Ref PE3102 .N4 S65 1994.

Spears, Richard A. Slang and euphemism : a dictionary of oaths, curses, insults, sexual slang and metaphor, racial slurs, drug talk, homosexual lingo, and related matters. Middle Village, N.Y.: David Publishers, c1981.
Ref. PE3721 .S67 1991

Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary. 18^th ed. Philadelphia: F. A. Davis, 1997.
Ref. R121.T18.1997

Trench, Richard Chenevix. Dictionary of Obsolete English.  New York: Philosophical Library [1958]
Ref. PE1585 .T8 1958

Urdang, Laurence.The New York Times Everyday Reader's Dictionary of Misunderstood, Misused, Mispronounced Words.  [New York] Quadrangle Books [1972]
Ref. PE1680 .U7

Walker, John M. and Michael Cox.   The Language of Biotechnology: a dictionary of terms, 2^nd Ed. Washington, DC: American Chemical Society, 1995. 
Ref TP248.16 .W35 1995.

Wolman, Benjamin B. Dictionary of Behavioral Science.  New York; Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. [1973]
Ref. BF 31 .W64

See also Some Recent Dictionary Acquisitions.

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