Guides: Encyclopedias & Dictionaries: Home

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General & Subject Encyclopedias

Credo Reference
Provides full-text online versions of general and subject dictionaries and encyclopedias.
Gale Virtual Reference Library
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.

Dictionaries

For foreign language dictionaries, see the respective subject guide.

Oxford English Dictionary (OED)
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)
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.