Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary.
The second edition was published in New York by Random House in 2001.
According to Books In Print the second edition of this dictionary came in both book form and in CD-ROM form, at a cost of approximately $65.00.
This book is typically referred to in a library when a patron comes in asking for the meaning of a word, how to spell a word, where a word comes from, how a word is pronounced, and where the syllables are divided.
This was the first unabridged dictionary to:
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be released on CD-Rom.
- include dates of entry of the words into the language.
- indicate which words are specifically of American origin.
The revised, updated edition of The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, second edition, unabridged, was first released in 1987. Includes Regional Variation Notes and Pronunciation Notes, gender-neutral definitions and illustrative examples.
The most common meaning is always listed first. Most common spelling is listed first, with variants preceded by “also.” Proper names such as persons, places, and literary titles are included. This book has 240 comprehensive usage notes. There are 75,000 example phrases, some of which are quotes and others are made up. The definitions often include labels such as slang, colloquial, etc.
There are 315,000 entries in the Random-House dictionary. There is a new word section in the preface on pages x-xvi.
Etymologies are listed after definitions in brackets, and abbreviations are at the bottom of each page.
For major entries, date of first recorded use is listed after definitions in brackets.
There are 2400 illustrations, and spot maps.
Complete re-indexing occurred for the 1987, 1993, and 1997, but not for 2001 printings.
The most common pronunciation is the first one. This dictionary uses a simple system for laymen to understand. Concise Key at bottom of right hand page and a full key on the end papers is available. On the CD there are 120,000 spoken pronounciations. Many synanims. Has some antonyms. First unabridged cd-rom, with sound.
Descriptive, but gives a clearer indication of where a word is used such as slang, regional, vulgar, etc.
It is alphabetized letter by letter not word by word.
LCSH: English Language-Dictionaries