Searching the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
The Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, included with
Britannica CD, is an electronic tool that you will find indispensable
in your research. You can look up words in the dictionary using
the same techniques you use to search for information in the other Britannica CD databases. The following section describes how to use this dictionary and provides a brief overview of its features.
Looking up a Word
You may want to look up a word you encounter in an article in Britannica CD. You can access the dictionary from any article using the Query Box that appears at the top of the screen. Use the following steps to look up a word:
1. Click on the pull-down arrow at the end of the Select Reference box.
2. Select Dictionary from the pull-down menu. (On the Main Menu, select Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.)
3. Type the word you want to look up in the Query Box.
4. Click on the Search button or press Enter on
the keyboard.
The electronic dictionary automatically finds all definitions containing the word, but it will display only the first 10 entries it finds for the word unless you specify that you
want to see more entries using the box labeled Display a list
of _____ articles on the Main Menu. If additional entries
are available, a message at the top of the screen tells you that
you can expand your search to view the other entries.
If you wish to see them, click on the words Expand your search
and the additional hits will be displayed.
Main Entries
In the dictionary, the defined word is called a main entry. These entries look similar to those that appear in the printed dictionary. Entries usually include most of the following elements:
- Spelling, including any standard variant spellings, with end-of-line hyphenation points
- Functional (part-of-speech) label
- Inflected forms if they are not regular and predictable
- Etymology or word origin
- Date of the first recorded use in English
- Definitions
- Examples of the word used in context
Many entries also include the following information:
- Derivative words
- Idiomatic phrases
- Paragraphs discussing distinctions in meaning among synonyms
- Paragraphs discussing issues of confused or disputed usage
Main entry words are shown in boldface type at the beginning of
their entries. If the main entry is one of several homographs
(one of several main entries that are spelled alike), it will
have a homograph number, which appears as a superscript before
the boldface word.
Hyphenation
Hyphenation points in a main entry are indicated by boldface periods
within the word. These points show the places you would normally
hyphenate the word at the end of a line. Hyphenation points are
shown in the first homograph, but are not repeated in later ones
if all homographs are divided in the same place. The functional
(part-of-speech) label appears immediately after the boldface
entry word.
Inflected Forms
Regular inflected forms, such as those formed simply by adding -s to a noun or -ing to a verb, are not listed because
they are covered explicitly or implicitly at the main entry for
the base form. Inflected forms of the main entry are usually
shown after the part-of-speech label.
Inflected forms generally are listed under the following conditions:
- Main entries when the inflected forms are irregular
- Variant inflected forms
- When the inflections involve a spelling change from the base word
- If you have reasonable doubts about how to spell the inflected form
Etymology
Etymology traces the history of the word,and discusses what language
and form the word first came into English. For words in the general
English vocabulary, the etymology also traces the pre-English
source of the words as far back as possible if the source is an
Indo-European language. This dictionary includes etymologies
for many words, but it does not give etymologies for words created
in English by combining existing words or if the origin is most
likely self-evident to the user. For example, it is clear that
the word bookshelf is a combination of book and
shelf and that the noun commute comes from the verb
commute. Etymologies for the base word are given at their
own entries.
The etymology appears inside square brackets and may contain language
names and words from those languages, along with a brief definition
of such words in their language of origin. When the source of
a main entry is unknown, the phrase origin unknown usually
appears in square brackets. Scientific and technical terms have
the etymological label ISV (International Scientific Vocabulary)
to recognize their international status and to indicate the possibility
that they originated in a language other than English.
Dates
A special feature of the dictionary is that dates are included
for the first recorded use in English of main entry words. The
date appears before the first definition and always refers to
the first known use of the first definition of the word in the
dictionary. When a date is uncertain, circa (about) precedes
the date. Dates before 1501 are given in terms of centuries rather
than years because the dates for texts produced before that time
are often uncertain.
Definitions
The definitions for a word appear in roman type and a boldface
colon is used to introduce each sense. When a word has multiple
senses, boldface Arabic numerals separate them; letters and
parenthesized numerals indicate subsenses. The word senses are
usually listed in chronological order, with the oldest sense appearing
first.
Some definitions include examples of the word used in a context
typical for that meaning. These examples appear inside angle
brackets < >. In these examples, a swung dash (~) may represent
the main entry word.
Usage Notes and Paragraphs
Entries may include usage notes that give information about matters
such as idiom, syntax, semantic relationship, and status. They
may also include brief usage paragraphs that discuss terms that
are considered to present problems of confused or disputed usage.
Cross-References
The electronic dictionary includes four cross-reference types
that make it easier for you to find additional information about
a main entry or about words in the definition. Cross-references
are readily recognized because they are hyperlinked (underlined
and in blue type on the screen). You can look up the entry for
a cross-reference by simply clicking on the cross-reference to
automatically display it.
The paragraphs below describe the four types of cross-references
and their functions.
1. A directional cross-reference follows a dash and begins
with see or compare. This cross-reference directs
you to look elsewhere for further information. A compare cross-reference
is regularly appended to a definition, while a see cross-reference
may stand alone. For example:
wel.ter.weight…n…- compare LIGHTWEIGHT, MIDDLEWEIGHT
allo--see ALL-
2. A synonymous cross-reference follows a boldface colon.
This cross-reference indicates that the entry cross-reference
definition can be substituted for the entry of the sense in which
the cross-reference appears. This type of cross-reference may
stand alone as the only definition for any entry. It may also
follow an analytical definition, or it may be one of two synonymous
cross-references separated by a comma. For example:
gar.ban.zo…n …: CHICKPEA
1ne.glect…vt…1: to give little attention or respect to: DISREGARD
2main adj…1: CHIEF, PRINCIPAL
3. An entry containing a cognate cross-reference is used
for a variant that is not standard in American English. Such
an entry contains a limiting label indicating how the word is
used and the label var of
haul.ier…Brit var of HAULER
2hist…dial var of HOST
sher.ris…archaic var of SHERRY
4. An inflectional cross-reference follows an italic label
that identifies the entry as an inflected form of a noun, of an
adjective or adverb, or of a verb:
calves pl of CALF
3wound…past and past part of WIND
A superscript numeral may precede a cross-reference or a sense
number may follow (both are also possible). These numbers are
intended to clarify which one of several homographs having the
same part of speech, or which sense of a multisense word is being
referred to by the cross-reference.