Random House Webster's College Dictionary, 2nd Edition [Hardcover]

Robert B. Costello (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0679455701 | ISBN-13: 978-0679455707 | Publication Date: July 1, 1997 | Edition: 2nd

Body piercing is in. So are buffalo wings, killer apps, and yada-yada-yada.

If it's an important new word, you will find it here first...in the all new 50th Anniversary edition of the RANDOM HOUSE WEBSTER'S COLLEGE DICTIONARY. Unlike any other college dictionary, Random house Webster's uses the state-of-the-art Living Dictionary Database™ to enable its team of expert editors to add new words as soon as they become current--faster than any other dictionary. RANDOM HOUSE WEBSTER'S COLLEGE DICTIONARY not only brings you Newer Words Faster, but always lists the most common, up-to-date meanings first, to help you find what you're looking for more quickly and easily.

RANDOM HOUSE WEBSTER'S COLLEGE DICTIONARY allows you to be up-to-date, guided by the best advice on English usage--such as how to avoid insensitive and offensive language in your writing or speaking. Best of all, this all-new edition features rewritten definitions for extra clarity and precision, to help you understand at a glance the meaning of words.

Why Choose Any Other Dictionary?


Over 160,000 entries and 175,000 definitions--more than any other college dictionary!

Hundreds of new words and meanings found for the first time in a college dictionary--like intranet, Ebonics, nonstarter, olestra, same-sex, Megan's law, TV-Y, and Web site.

All new design and illustrations! A modern new type design and hundreds of completely new digitally rendered illustrations make definitions even easier to understand!

Expert usage notes--written by noted usage specialists--offer clear explanations of important nuances of English usage.

The one-step reference resource! Includes up-to-date biographical and geographical entries--plus 8 pages of world maps. Also contains an indispensable Guide for Writers and additional essays to help you use English more effectively.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Random House's 1997 college edition, thoroughly modern and inexpensive, is as current as dictionaries get, including '90s lingo (such as "carjacking," "Ebonics," "lap dance," "Prozac," and "Web site") in their 1500-plus pages and 160,000-plus entries. Their definitions are up-to-date, too, giving the most common meanings first, with less emphasis devoted to etymology, and they have a handy appendix featuring foreign alphabets, writers' guides, holidays, state capitals, books of the Bible, world maps, proofreader's marks, metric equivalents, and the periodic table. With festive red letter tabs and more than 800 illustrations, it's attractive as well as practical.

From Library Journal

In 1947 Random House launched its first dictionary, the celebrated American College Dictionary. Today, half a century later, the publisher is recognized as one of the premier lexicographic houses in North America, noted for its careful attention to new vocabulary, both standard and nonstandard. Fittingly, Random House marks its 50th anniversary in the dictionary business with these two major publications, both of which will be familiar to librarians. Volume 2 (H-O) of the slang dictionary, which adds about 10,000 main entries to the corpus, maintains the impressive quality that distinguished Volume 1 (LJ 8/94). The final volume (Q-Z) is scheduled for publication in 2000. This is simply the best slang dictionary ever compiled, and all but the smallest public and academic libraries should have it. The College Dictionary, a descendant of the aforementioned American College Dictionary, first appeared under its current title six years ago (LJ 6/15/91). The new edition is a thorough update, offering first-rate coverage and treatment of American English as used in the mid-1990s. For instance, "chat room" is here, as is the latest connotation of "closure." It competes well with other dictionaries in its class, including Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (LJ 9/1/93) and the American Heritage College Dictionary (1993. 3d ed.). Essential for most collections.?Ken Kister, author of "Best Encyclopedias," Tampa, Fla.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 1536 pages
• Publisher: Random House Reference; 2nd edition (July 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679455701
• ISBN-13: 978-0679455707
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.4 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #559,046 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Last Word in Dictionaries, October 2, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Random House Webster's College Dictionary (Hardcover)

You don't have to be a college student to appreciate this with-it dictionary. As a professional writer, I swear by it. It's not only useful for spelling and capitalization, it has proved invaluable in indicating when hyphenated compound words "graduate" to single words by virtue of their popular usage. (Examples: "head-hunting" became "headhunting" when employment recruiters began doing it; "email" is taking over the place that "e-mail" established; even "weekend" was hyphenated at first.) Accept no substitutes ... insist on the Random House Webster's College version. I buy nearly every edition of this classic, and I am always amazed at the number of new words it includes. I have also given it to friends, family, colleagues, and even my editor.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential dictionary for writers and college students, May 12, 2000

By 

Melanie (Southern, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Random House Webster's College Dictionary (Hardcover)

I write as a hobby and am a reference book addict. I own 10 dictionaries. I've had my copy of RH/Webster's for 3 years and have yet to find a word not listed in stunning detail. Buy this dictionary!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The latest college dictionary, February 19, 2000

By 

wangshunlai (Harbin China) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Random House Webster's College Dictionary (Hardcover)

The second edition of Random House Webster's College Dictionary first published in 1997 when it was the latest at college dictionary market. Then, the publisher launched an annual update program in 1998. The 1999 update have more than 207,000 definitions with more new words than any other dictionary. The new words in science, computing, business, society etc were comprehensively updated. I always go to Random house first because I find it always give me a satisfactory answer.