American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language [Hardcover]

Editors of The American Heritage Dictionaries (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0395711460 | ISBN-13: 978-0395711460 | Publication Date: September 9, 1994 | Edition: 3

With more than 350,000 entries and definitions--including 16,000 new words and meanings; over 500 usage notes from our Usage Panel; 4,000 illustrations; an Appendix of Indo-European Roots; 900 synonym paragraphs; 400 word history notes; and more. The CD-ROM version also includes the complete Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, making this package an exceptional value. System Requirements: CD-ROM drive; Windows: 3.1 or higher, 4 MB RAM, 100K­15MB hard-disk space; DOS: IBM compatible PC with 640K RAM, DOS 3.1 or higher, 180K­15MB hard-disk space. Mac: any Macintosh with System 6.0.2 or higher, 1 MB RAM (2MB System 7), 30K­14MB hard-disk space.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The third edition of the American Heritage Dictionary is a beauty--2,134 pages and 8.5 pounds--containing a lexicon of more than 200,000 entries, plus an appendix of Indo-European roots for etymology enthusiasts. The crisp white pages and sharp black print are easy on the eyes, the drawings and pictures (nearly 4,000 in all) are a delight, and along with the lucid, erudite definitions are 4,000-plus quoted illustrations of usage from the likes of Shakespeare, Melville, and Updike. Though it's the chosen reference of editors, it's more than a mere tool of the trade--it's a luxurious linguistic experience. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Heftier (7 lbs. vs. 4 lbs.) and more expensive than competing adult desk dictionaries ($40 vs. $20), the new edition of The American Heritage Dictionary ( AHD3 ) will especially appeal to those who found the original (1969. o.p.) a refreshingly readable, attractive, and candid source of lexical information. The hallmarks of the first edition--handsome graphics and format, accessible definitions and etymologies, hardnosed advice on usage questions--are all here, updated to reflect American English as used in the early 1990s. AHD3 's stats (yes, that's a word, you can look it up) are impressive: 200,000 "boldface forms"; 16,000 new words and meanings including such recent constructions as birthparent , date rape , moonquake , slam-dunk , and wellness ; 30,000 illustrative examples prepared by the staff and more than 4000 quotations from reputable writers and publications; 30,500 etymologies, complemented by 400 word histories and 100 regional notes; 900 synonymies; and 4000 pictorial illustrations, 80 percent of which are new. The Usage Panel, a familiar feature of previous editions, has now grown to 173 members and includes more women, English professors, and linguists. The panel offers 500-plus usage notes, many quite lengthy, that render stern, usually conservative judgments on questionable usage (see the flout / flaunt controversy, for example). AHD3 measures up well against the major competition--the Random House Webster's College Dictionary ( LJ 6/15/91), Webster's New World Dictionary (Prentice Hall Pr., 1988. 3d ed.), and Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictio nary ( LJ 9/1/83). All libraries of any consequence need the new edition of the American Heritage Dictionary . For an interview with editor Soukhanov, see "Dictionaries Defined," LJ , June 15, p. 44-45.--Ed.
- Ken Kister, author of "Best Encyclope dias," Tampa, Fla.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 2184 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin; 3 edition (September 9, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395711460
• ISBN-13: 978-0395711460
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.5 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,624,254 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

81 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars There isn't any better dictionary other than the OED, November 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition (Hardcover)

There isn't any better dictionary in English, other than the OED (Oxford English Dictionary). I bought my first American Heritage Dictionary in 1970 at the recommendation of one of my college instructors, who was a poet. He said it was the best and it was. No other dictionary reference book ever came close to examining and explaining words and their definitions as effectively as the American Heritage. Only when I wanted the most intense definition of a word based on its root origins would I turn to the OED. The American Heritage Dictionary is not an esoteric book, however. This masterful accomplishment of editiong has all the words and their meanings(more than the college edition which makes this a better book for the language majors) and is easy to use and clear. This is a classic book for everyone who needs to know what a word means. I wish they had this version in CD-Rom.

31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Far Superior to Merrium-Webster's, December 30, 1999

By 

Dave - See all my reviews

This review is from: The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition (Hardcover)

Without a doubt this is a far superior dictionary than the Merrium-Webster's dictionary. This dictionary is designed the way a dictionary should be. Definitions are listed not how they evolved historically, but how they are used with the most common usage of a word coming before less common uses.

Also, the English usage notes in the dictionary are more reflective of the way English is used in the United States than the MW dictionary.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best "College" Dictionary!, July 25, 2000

By 

Laure-Madeleine - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (Hardcover)

A riddle: what book weighs 8.5 lbs., is read almost every day, but is never finished? Easy answer: "The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language," third edition (1996, 1992) ["AHD"].

As a teacher of first-year college English courses, I recommend this dictionary to my students. It has large print; lists some synonyms; has word history and usage notes; offers illustrations; shows proper hyphenation, syllabification, and pronunciation of words.

For the rare instance that a word is not found in the "AHD," I suggest that students consult the library's copy of the "Oxford English Dictionary," second edition ["OED"]. For classroom use, I recommend the "Oxford American Dictionary" (1980), an inexpensive paperback, which has some excellent, brief usage notes.

This dictionary makes an excellent high school graduation present for the college-bound student. It is also a good reference book for the home or office library.