Dictionaries (Electronic Reference Sources)

Browse or search for information on a specific name, or review topical lists.

Part of the Literature Online (LION) database, the Dictionary contains definitions of terms relating to criticism and theory in literature, philosophy, and related areas. Each definition includes a brief bibliography of sources.

Part of the Literature Online (LION) database, the Dictionary contains brief definitions of literary terms including those relating to traditional drama, rhetoric, literary history, and textual criticism.

Brief entries with extensive links to electronic texts and to more detailed discussions on this site or in other on-line resources.

An electronic version of Brewer's 1898 text containing more than 18,000 entries the give "the derivation, source, or origin of common phrases, allusions, and words that have a tale to tell." The entries can be browsed alphabetically or searched by keyword.

Includes the The Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT)®, The Cultural Objects Name Authority (CONA) ™, The Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names (TGN)®, and The Union List of Artist Names (ULAN)®.

"Contains definitions, most with illustrations, of over 400 terms including artist groups and art movements, techniques, media and other art jargon." From the Tate gallery.

Includes terms related to Forms & Types of poetry, Rhythm & Meter, Schools & Periods, Techniques & Figures of Speech, and Theory & Criticism.

Covers most aspects of theatrical production.

"This work-in-progress is a comprehensive quotation-based dictionary of the language of science fiction. The HD/SF is an offshoot of a project begun by the Oxford English Dictionary (though it is no longer formally affiliated with it)."

"Features thorough coverage of legendary films, actors, actresses, directors, writers, and other production artists through detailed essays and commentary by experts. Entries include biographies, filmographies, comprehensive credits, production information, major awards, and bibliographies." Electronic version of the 4 volume 4th edition. A freely accessible version is also available.

An alphabetical listing of terms relating to nonverbal human communication. Includes definitions and brief essays from anthropologists, archaeologists, biologists, linguists, psychiatrists, psychologists, semioticians, and others who study communication.

Links to a large collection of dictionaries and glossaries for the arts and humanities.

An online version of The Grove Dictionary of Art, the Benezit Dictionary of Artists, the The Oxford Companion to Western Art, the Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, and more. Browse alphabetically or search for articles on all aspects of art, including biographies of painters, sculptors, graphic artists, architects, furniture makers, ceramists, photographers, illuminators, calligraphers, patrons, collectors, agents, dealers, and more.

Covers all aspects of the Graeco-Roman world, providing "coverage of Greek and Roman history, literature, myth, religion, linguistics, philosophy, law, science, art and archaeology, and topics in near eastern studies and late antiquity." Electronic version of the third edition.

Browse alphabetically or search for articles on all aspects of music, including biographies of musicians. Bibliographic citations and related links are also searchable. Includes Grove Music Online.

This site contains lists of heads of state and heads of government (and, in certain cases, de facto leaders not occupying either of those formal positions) of all countries and territories, going back to about 1700 in most cases. Also included are the subdivisions of various countries (the links are at the bottom of the respective country entries), as well as a selection of international organizations. Recent foreign ministers of all countries are listed separately.

A collection of links to business and financial dictionaries.

Links to a large collection of business related dictionaries and glossaries.

A single search interface for an extensive collection of Web-based dictionaries covering art, business, computing, medicine, religion, science, slang, sports, technology, and a variety of other subject and general language resources including a reverse dictionary.

Billed as "English, Medical, Legal, Financial, and Computer Dictionaries, Thesaurus, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, a Literature Reference Library, and a Search Engine all in one."

Search one of 15 themes to quickly locate words, or find the meaning of a word by viewing the image it represents.

Provides definitions and a visual representation of associations with other words and concepts.

Includes a quick search option, plus links to hundreds of dictionaries in hundreds of languages; links to glossaries and dictionaries in many subjects; and links to translation and language-related resources on the Internet.

A browseable list of medical terms and definitions.

Links to a large collection of medical and health dictionaries and glossaries.

Searchable dictionary based on the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law.

A browseable list of terms commonly used in the U.S. Court system.

Definitions and explanations of modern statistical and statistics-related concepts including medical, survey, theoretical, and applied statistics, and more.

Billed as "the definitive resource for information about file extensions and file types," each entry contains information about the file format, a description of the file, and how to open the file.

A searchable database of file extensions and the programs that use them.

A searchable dictionary of acronyms, jargon, programming languages, tools, architecture, operating systems, networking, theory, conventions, standards, mathematics, telecoms, electronics, institutions, companies, projects, products, history, and in fact anything to do with computing.

Includes definitions for terms that either relate directly to GIS or that GIS users may come across in the course of their work.

Definitions of terms, acronyms, and abbreviations used in the field of toxicology. 2nd edition. From the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.

A dictionary of terms for all disciplines of mathematics. Includes synonyms, acronyms, and abbreviations.

The thesaurus provides a controlled vocabulary of subject terms including terminology in the supporting biological, physical, and social sciences. The glossary provides brief definitions of agricultural terms.

A searchable dictionary containing words and definitions that describe the technology and community of the World Wide Web including internet acronyms and text messaging shorthand.

An alphabetical listing of terms relating to nonverbal human communication. Includes definitions and brief essays from anthropologists, archaeologists, biologists, linguists, psychiatrists, psychologists, semioticians, and others who study communication.

Links to a variety of science dictionaries and glossaries.

Links to a large collection of technological dictionaries and glossaries.

Provided by the National Human Genome Research Institute, this site provides a searchable alphabetic listing of genetic terms with brief definitions, audios of detailed explanations, and links to related terms.

Definitions and explanations of computer and technology terms.

A technology dictionary for IT Professionals.

Defines in non-technical language the more commonly used environmental terms appearing in EPA publications, news releases, and other Agency documents. From the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Search for a term, browse word lists, or choose a topic to explore a group of related terms dealing with information technology, computers, and the Internet.

A glossary of book-related terms and abbreviations, including terms to describe the size and condition of books.

From the U.S. Department of Defense, the dictionary includes a separate section on acronyms.

Includes definitions for terms that either relate directly to GIS or that GIS users may come across in the course of their work.

Entires for terms relating to political economy, with definitions of varying lengths and links to related terms.

An online version of the standard resource covering all aspects of economics and economic history. Includes the full text of the 8 volume print 2nd edition as well as an archive of the 1987 text.

An alphabetical listing of terms relating to nonverbal human communication. Includes definitions and brief essays from anthropologists, archaeologists, biologists, linguists, psychiatrists, psychologists, semioticians, and others who study communication.

An alphabetical list of terms with brief definitions.

Entries cover basic concepts and events relevant to the study of: anthropology, sociology, criminology, Canadian studies, political science, and women's studies. Can be browsed alphabetically, or searched for a specific term or phrase.

Provides a controlled vocabulary of subject terms for: education; science; culture; social and human sciences; information and communication; and politics, law and economics. Also includes the names of countries and groupings of countries (political, economic, geographic, ethnic and religious, and linguistic groupings).