|
|
LINKS: Dictionaries, Glossaries, & Language Resources
General References · International · Poetry & Rhyme · Topical Glossaries · Look Up a Word
See also: Links to Grammar Resources
- 90 Best Online Dictionaries
- https://custom-writing.org/blog/100-best-online-dictionaries-stock-up-on-new-words-today
- Here's a great place to start looking for dictionaries - it has a variety of English dictionaries, including British English, Australian, various types of slang, etc., plus a host of specialized glossaries.
- Dictionary.com
- https://www.dictionary.com/
- Look up words, play games, get the word of the day and much more.
- TheFreeDictionary.com
- https://www.TheFreeDictionary.com
- Offers a "dictionary, thesaurus, literature refernece library and search engine all in one." Also offers a script that enables you to include a dictionary search box on your own website.
- Merriam-Webster Online: Language Center
- http://www.merriam-webster.com/
- If your dictionary isn't handy, look up words on this site -- and find out when a word first (officially) entered the English language. It also gives you a word a day, a list of words that sound like insults (but aren't), and many other fun features.
- One-Look Dictionaries
- https://www.onelook.com
- A lookup page that accesses the resources of over 1000 dictionaries, plus an interesting thesaurus function.
- One-Look Thesaurus
- https://www.onelook.com/thesaurus/
- Use the list below the search box to generate terms and synonyms around a particular concept.
- Oxford English Dictionary
- https://www.oed.com/
- Thesaurus.com
- https://www.thesaurus.com/
- Search for synonyms, antonyms, or word categories; look up words, place names, biblical names and zip codes; take quizzes and enjoy daily crosswords and word search puzzles; translate text and web pages.
- Wordsmyth: The Educational Dictionary/Thesaurus
- http://www.wordsmyth.net/
- This site offers regular dictionary functions plus a lot of resources for students and children.
- World Wide Words
- https://www.worldwidewords.org/
- Devoted to the English language -- its history, quirks, curiosities and evolution. Includes Weird Words, topical words, definitions, usage, phrases, and more. This site is no longer actively maintained, but has an archive of over 3000 articles.
- YourDictionary.com
- http://www.yourdictionary.com
- Look up words through the search function, or browse articles on translation and language issues, or explore the more than 230 international language dictionaries and glossaries (including multilingual dictionaries and endangered languages).
- Aboriginal Languages of Australia
- https://www.dnathan.com/VL/index.php
- Links to grammars, dictionaries and other resources relating to the non-English languages spoken in Australia (such as Kamilaroi, Ayapathu and Jingulu), plus topics like "Bush Food and Medicine" and more.
- Digital Dictionaries of Southeast Asia
- https://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/
- FreeTranslator.com
- http://www.free-translator.com
- Offers a variety of free translation interfaces.
- Lexicool Online Dictionaries Sorted by Language
- https://www.lexicool.com/dictionaries.asp
- Links to hundreds of individual language dictionaries.
- Logos Dictionary
- https://www.logosdictionary.org/
- Enter a word to get a translation, conjugate verbs in various languages, and more.
- Verbix Online Conjugator
- https://www.verbix.com/languages/
- Conjugate verbs in a host of languages, modern and ancient (including Old Saxon, Proto-Indo-European, Swahile, and dozens more.)
- YourDictionary.com: Foreign Language Online Dictionaries and Free Translation Links
- https://www.yourdictionary.com/articles/foreign-language-dicts
|
Poetic and Rhyming Dictionaries
|
- Glossary of Poetic Terms
- http://www.poeticbyway.com/glossary.html
- Glossary of Poetic Terms
- https://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/glossary
- A fascinating collection of terms, from acatalectic to zeugma.
- Rhymezone Semantic Rhyming Dictionary
- https://www.rhymezone.com/
- Look up rhymes by sound, number of syllables, and preferred meaning.
- The Ultimate Rhyming Dictionary
- https://www.rappad.co/rhyming-dictionary
|
Topical and Specialized Glossaries
|
- Abbreviations.com
- http://www.abbreviations.com
- Search for acronyms and abbreviations, or browse by category (e.g., computers, science, food, games, international, etc. -- 117 categories in all).
- Acronym Finder
- http://www.acronymfinder.com
- "With more than 1,000,000 human-edited definitions, Acronym Finder is the world's largest and most comprehensive dictionary of acronyms, abbreviations, and initialisms. Acronym Finder contains more than 5 million acronyms and abbreviations. You can also search for more than 850,000 US and Canadian postal codes."
- The Acronym Server
- http://acronyms.silmaril.ie//index.html#0
- Type in any acronym for a list of possible meanings.
- Antique Words, by C. J. Cherryh
- https://www.cherryh.com/www/antique1.htm
- A list of words that were commonly used prior to the 1900's; useful if you'd like to avoid anachronistic phrases in your historical fiction.
- Business & Economic Glossary
- https://taprun.com/glossary/
- The best place to learn about the role of bears, bulls, cows, sharks and whales in the world of business! (Check out the rest of this site, which has a huge collection of information on business matters.)
- Castle Terms
- http://www.castlesontheweb.com/glossary.html
- Cliché Finder
- https://westegg.com/cliche/
- An interesting resource that enables you to search for "clichés" by keyword (e.g., a search on "cat" provides such gems as "Busier than a one-eyed cat watching two mouseholes").
- A Dictionary of Slang and English Colloquialisms
- http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/
- Easton's Bible Dictionary
- https://www.ccel.org/ccel/easton/ebd2.toc.html
- Feudal Terminology
- http://home.olemiss.edu/~tjray/medieval/feudal.htm
- Glossary of Grammatical Terms
- http://www.writingenglish.com/glossary.htm
- How Many? A Dictionary of Units of Measurement
- https://www.ibiblio.org/units/
- Interjections by Language
- https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:Interjections_by_language
- Medical Dictionary of Health Terms (Harvard Medical School)
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/a-through-c
- Names of Winds
- https://ggweather.com/winds.html
- A fascinating collection, giving names of different types of winds and storms in various parts of the world.
- Netlingo: The Internet Dictionary
- https://www.netlingo.com/
- Includes texting and chat terms.
- The Omnificent English Dictionary In Limerick Form
- http://www.oedilf.com/db/Lim.php
- An effort to define every word in the English language with a limerick; currently up to "ho"! (They hope to finish in 2063). Definitely a site by, and for, people with way too much time in their hands. Loads of fun, though - try looking up "eohippus" as an example.
- Smith's Bible Dictionary
- http://www.ccel.org/ccel/smith_W/bibledict
- Symbols.com
- http://www.symbols.com
- "Symbols.com is a unique online encyclopedia that encompasses comprehensive information on symbols, signs, flags, and glyphs — systematically organized into categories such as culture, country, religion, and others."
- Twists, Slugs and Roscoes: A Glossary of Hardboiled Slang
- https://www.miskatonic.org/slang.html
- A fun guide to "detective" and police slang, especially of the 20's, 30's and 40's.
- The Urban Dictionary
- https://www.urbandictionary.com/
- A crowd-sourced collection of modern terms, slang, catchphrases, etc., some fleeting, some that have endured.
Look up a word!
Last Link Check: January 2024. Find a broken link? Please
let me know!
|
Becoming a successful writer isn't just about mastering great writing skills. It's also about overcoming the challenges and obstacles of the writing life: Rejection, fear of failure, lack of time, writer's block, the "Am I Really a Writer?" syndrome, and, of course, friends and family who just don't get it.
Fortunately, you're not alone. We've all been there. So here's a handy "survival guide" that will bring you inspiration, motivation, support and good old-fashioned advice to help you through the tough times. Don't let those writing gremlins keep you from achieving your dreams!
More from Moira Allen:
|
|
