Product Details

From Barnes & Noble - bn.com

This new dictionary has more than 300,000 entries, compiled using the expertise of Oxford University Press's renowned dictionary department. Oxford's speciality is etymology, and this dictionary provides some of the best word histories available. It also features precise usage guidance, such as Informal, Derogatory, Humorous, and Dated.

Choice

Oxford's new dictionary not only examines modern American English vocabulary and usage, but presents a new model of how dictionaries may be written...Entries have a clean appearance; definitions are readable and understandable...A well-designed dictionary, recommended for all libraries.

William Safire

Oxford has always been so good at dictionaries, and lexographical publishing ...I'd give NOAD to a person looking for a quick answer.

Library Journal

In this new dictionary, Jewell (editor of numerous Penguin Book of Sunday Times Crosswords) and Abate (editor of The Pocket Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus) offer an atypical layout and a new approach to presenting definitions and meanings. They analyzed words using computational tools and distilled the definitions into "core" meanings. In a definition, each core meaning of a word is followed by several "subsenses," which provide subtle pictures of how a word's meaning can change, depending on the context. In the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (LJ 10/15/00, 4th ed.), for example, 16 possible meanings are listed for the verb "drag," which has only four "core" meanings here. Each core meaning, however, is followed by many subsenses. Thus, one definition for drag is to "pull (someone or something) along forcefully, roughly, or with difficulty." Nine subsenses follow this one core sense, such as "take someone to or from a place or event, despite their reluctance" and "move (an icon or other image) across a computer screen using a tool such as a mouse." Entries include grammatical information, numerous examples of how a word is used, word origins, some usage information, syllabication, and pronunciation. In addition to defining words, this also includes people and places and, finally, a set of "Ready Reference" appendixes, which cover everything from word usage and punctuation to the elements, hall of fame information, temperature, and selected proverbs. This section probably lends itself better to home than library use, but the only real problem with the dictionary is that the pronunciation guide is found only at the beginning, making it difficult for the user to refer to it quickly. With black-and-white and halftone illustrations, this is not as glossily attractive as the American Heritage and doesn't replace it since there are words and definitions in one that are not in the other. However, with its unique approach to language, this is easy to use and provides clear, well-written definitions. Recommended for most libraries. Cynthia A. Johnson, Barnard Coll. Lib., NY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Booknews

Most striking about this dictionary is its immediate reader friendliness: small but crystal clear type, entries with the spelled- out categories DERIVATIVES and ORIGIN, easy-to-find lexical categories, and occasionally, supplemental information about usage, events, or national histories. Eighteen appendices include the history of English, usage and punctuation guides, presidents with terms and party affiliation, selected proverbs, and hall-of- famers from America's major team sports (a list of Hollywood stars not included). Drawings of animals, maps of countries, and photos of famous figures (mostly political) punctuate the volume. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

What People Are Saying

I received THE NEW OXFORD AMERICAN DICTIONARY (NOAD) yesterday and have spent several hours today examining it. Everyone who worked on the new dictionary deserves kudos for a job very well done. NOAD is clearly a superior dictionary, displaying an admirable editorial intelligence throughout. I was especially impressed by its thorough, readable, and up-to-date treatment of American English as used at the beginning of the 21st Century. For instance, it includes many everyday terms not found in MERRIAM-WEBSTER'S COLLEGIATE DICTIONARY (10th ed.), such as "cutdown," "death knell," "eye level," "inner sanctum," "love life," "never-ending," and "piss-poor." I haven't been so enthusiastic about a new dictionary since the publication of Bryan Garner's DICTIONARY OF MODERN AMERICAN USAGE in 1998; in this connection, I was delighted to see that Garner is a NOAD subject consultant.

What People Are Saying

"I have never seen quite such a wonderful compilation of words in my life and that would even include Shakespeare and Tolstoy...wow, what a dictionary! We badly need the dictionary at home because we are using two raggedy Websters that don't contain one-twentieth of your references. David looked under 'Brown' and found me and we are thrilled about that as well. Thank you for such a fabulous present. There has never BEEN such a dictionary, as you well know, and its creation has to be joyous for people like me - magazine editors, writers, etc."
—Editor-in-Chief, Cosmopolitan

• Table of Contents

Table of Contents