Dictionary of the Modern United States Military: Over 15,000 Weapons, Agencies, Acronyms, Slang, Installations, Medical Terms and Other Lexical Units of Warfare [Hardcover]

Stephen F. Tomajczyk (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1996 | ISBN-10: 0786401273 | ISBN-13: 978-0786401277

"Warspeak," the language of the military, can be for many civilians and for members of differing services an unintelligible hodgepodge of acronyms, slang terms and field operation expressions. Few laypersons may know that the Five F's is a derogatory expression, though Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force, Coast Guard and others know or can infer that "chairborn commandos" are administrative and support personnel. The over 15,000 entries in this dictionary provide an inside look at military life. Weapons systems and governmental agencies are covered in-depth, but the preponderance of entries are in the language of the soldier in the field. The work provides numerous cross references for ease of use.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Written by a public information office author (Eyes on the Gold, McFarland, 1986) this book is intended to facilitate any detailed inspection of the current military establishment in the United States by defining the terms used by military personnel on a day-to-day basis. Because the individual soldier remains the primary war weapon, this book goes beyond the high-tech approach so many other books have assumed when describing the military and warfare. All entries are arranged in letter-by-letter alphabetical order, regardless of word breaks. Whenever possible, entries are cross-referenced and linked to each other. This is because many terms relate to similar topics. In order to understand fully a definition or military concept, it is often necessary to read more than just one entry. With the help of this book, one may better understand how the military is organized, how it functions, what tools it has available to it, and how it responds not only to conflicts, but to social issues as well. The entire military establishment is covered. Recommended for military collections and larger public libraries.?Michael Coleman, Alabama Regional Lib. for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Montgomery
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

This dictionary of 15,000 terms does not have to rely on its definitions of weapons systems to justify its place in reference departments. The language of the individual soldier, who remains the primary weapon, receives most of the author's attention. Everyday terms relating to disease, crime, communication, drugs, food, hygiene, prisoners, and retirement are defined. See also references help users identify related terms, and acronyms are defined. Of major reference value is the "Topical Index," which groups terms together under 124 broad subject headings, such as Terrorism, Space, President of the United States. Definitions are complete and easily understood; care has been taken to include illustrative quotations, many of which are amusing. There are no personal-name entries, and word treatment aids such as pronunciation, syllabication, or parts of speech are not included. The typeface is perhaps too small for easy reading. All entries are arranged in letter-by-letter order; e.g., Electronic Warfare Technician precedes Electronic War. The work includes an extensive bibliography, but entries are not linked to sources in any way. There are four appendixes: tables of chemical agents, military designations, military ranks, and military protocol (e.g., the vice president of the U.S. receives a 19-gun salute).

The dictionary provides interesting definitions for terms used by military personnel on a day-to-day basis and deserves a place in many academic library reference collections.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 785 pages
• Publisher: Mcfarland & Co Inc Pub (January 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786401273
• ISBN-13: 978-0786401277
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.6 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,331,427 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Dictionary of the Modern United States Military, December 9, 1999

By 

James Ian MacIntosh (Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dictionary of the Modern United States Military: Over 15,000 Weapons, Agencies, Acronyms, Slang, Installations, Medical Terms and Other Lexical Units of Warfare (Hardcover)

Although the book is comprehensive, it is overpriced

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most comprehensive book on this subject I've seen., February 16, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Dictionary of the Modern United States Military: Over 15,000 Weapons, Agencies, Acronyms, Slang, Installations, Medical Terms and Other Lexical Units of Warfare (Hardcover)

Excellent reference for all libraries