Tag: dictionary

How the US Supreme Court uses the dictionary

An interesting article from the Washington Post. The definition of a single word can determine the Court’s interpretation of law.  

New dictionary entries

Merriam-Webster has announced new word entries in its 2012 Collegiate Dictionary including mash-up, bucket list, and copernicium. Their announcement and a sample of the new definitions are here.

Dictionary of American Regional English

A fifty-year project is nearing completion, with the final volume of the Dictionary of American Regional English due for publication this spring. The New York Times takes a look at the history, process, and product of the effort: Regional Dictionary Finally Hits ‘Zydeco’ The University of Wisconsin-Madison has fun matching games to quiz your regional …

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Perscription or Prescription?

When unsure how a word is spelled, the best resource, of course, is a dictionary. But without one on hand, I often ‘sound out’ the word using the phonetics I learned in grade school. Here’s where I run into trouble with prescription, because I mispronounce it! Many Americans also say the word as if the …

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