Guides: Encyclopedias & Dictionaries: Home

General & Subject Encyclopedias

Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Provides full-text online versions of general and subject dictionaries and encyclopedias.
Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
Provides online, full text access to Gale subject encyclopedias and dictionaries.
Includes Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History; Encyclopaedia Judaica; Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy; Encyclopedia of American Industries; Encyclopedia of American Religions; Encyclopedia of Bioethics; Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence, and Security; Encyclopedia of Ethical, Legal and Policy Issues in Biotechnology; Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World; Encyclopedia of Population; Encyclopedia of Religion; Encyclopedia of Sociology; Encyclopedia of the American Constitution; Environmental Encyclopedia; Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America; Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology; New Catholic Encyclopedia; New Catholic Encyclopedia Jubilee Volume; New Dictionary of the History of Ideas; St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture; and West's Encyclopedia of American Law.

For foreign language dictionaries, see the respective subject guide.

Oxford English Dictionary (OED) This link opens in a new window
July 2023: Off-campus access to the OED is not working in certain browsers. More info.
The largest dictionary and the most complete historical record of the English language. Use for:
--How a word was used in a specific time period
--When a word or phrase (e.g., fagged out) was first used
--Where words come from (etymology)
--Sample quotations using a particular word
Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) This link opens in a new window
A record of American regional words, phrases, and pronunciations, based on a survey of 3,000 people in communities across the United States. Includes audio recordings, interactive maps, and insights into the DARE Survey.