Third New International Dictionary of the English Language [UNABRIDGED] (Hardcover)

~ Webster's (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If big is better, the unabridged Webster's Third New International Dictionary is among the best. Weighing 12.5 pounds and measuring 4 inches thick, its 2,662 pages define more than 450,000 words spanning "a" to "zyzzogeton," including words ("disselboom" for instance) not found in other dictionaries, plus clear definitions, comprehensive etymologies, interesting asides, literary usage quotes, and a comfortable typeface. More than 150 years of accumulated scholarship helped collect the 10,000,000 usage examples that accurately provide definitions, and $3,500,000 went into producing this impressive volume. With Webster's Third you get a lot of dictionary for your money.

Product Description

Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged, is the largest, most comprehensive American dictionary available, containing over 472,000 entries, 14,000 new words in a special Addenda Section, 3,000 illustrations, and 140,000 etymologies describing word origins. Boxed hardcover, buckram binding, thumb-notched.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 2816 pages
• Publisher: Merriam-Webster (June 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877792011
• ISBN-13: 978-0877792017
• Product Dimensions: 13 x 9.7 x 3.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #45,350 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

364 of 381 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars W3 or OED?, March 29, 1998

By A Customer

There are only two definitive English language dictionaries: Webster's Third (W3) and the Oxford English Dictionary (OED).

The OED has the advantage of scholarship, prestige and preeminence: it is generally regarded as the gold standard in the definition of English words. It achieves this primarily by citing historical books and manuscripts, going back in many cases to the dark ages, when the language itself was evolving. Comprising some 22 volumes and requiring more than three feet of shelf space, it is an impressive addition to anyone's library, albeit at a high cost. It is available, again at high cost, on CD ROM.

W3 is a single volume about four inches wide. It offers a precise definition of every word you will ever encounter (450,000 are listed) except for slang and jargon, obsolete words, technical vocabularies and recent additions to the language. It is not above providing an occasional literary allusion. It defines the English language.

Suppose you want to look up the word "synecdoche." Which of the following scenarios do you prefer?

(1) Find volume 10 of the OED and learn that Wyclif (1338) defined it as "whanne a part is set for al, either al is set for oo par . . ."

(2) Start computer, find CD ROM, load CD ROM, go to OED, step through program, find information, unload CD ROM, turn off computer, file CD ROM, go back to what you were doing in the first place.

(3) Open W3 and read "a figure of speech by which a part is put for a whole (as fifty sail for fifty ships) . . ."

W3 is THE dictionary. It belongs in everyone's home. At the listed price it is an incredible bargain. Highly recommended.

227 of 245 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good reference book, but..., January 23, 2001

By	Charles Sebree "truthlover" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged (Book & CD-ROM) (Hardcover)

I have wished for a long time for the CD version of the Oxford English Dictionary and was on the verge of buying it until I read a review that expressed disappointment with OED-CD ease of use. The reviewer highly recommended Websters 3rd New International Dictionary:Unabridged which I purchased instead. The program is very easy to use and easily links to my MS Word.

I do have four disappointments - First, I have a real interest in etymology and though the NID:U has an etymology section it is very brief.

Second, though the CD is dated 2000 I have wondered just how up-to-date it is. For example, the word "internet" is not found.

Third, many of the illustrations in the print version are NOT in the CD version. That is a big disappointment.

Fourth, the dictionary does not contain many proper nouns or names. For example, out of the many uses for the word "Lincoln" not one definition lists Abraham as in President; neither is there any listing for Jefferson, either as President or Memorial. Look up Georgia and you will find that it is a state but there is no reference to the now country of Georgia, a former Soviet Republic. Look up any of the planets, Saturn, Venus, Mars, etc. and you find no mention of these words as describing the planets! The more I look the more disappointed I become. It is sold as an "unabridged" dictionary and according to the definition means complete, which the Wester's 3rd New International:Unabridged is not.

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Web's 3rd is still '93, December 27, 2000

By	Scott Eliason "saeliason" (Big Bear Lake, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged (Book & CD-ROM) (Hardcover)

I just received my copy of Web's 3rd Unabridged Dictionary from Amazon. Overall I am happy and would recommend it to anyone with enough of a love for words and language to take the step up from the standard abridged dictionaries. However, I have one reservation I think is worth pointing out to the readers of this review. Amazon shows this book as an October 2000 release. The included cd appears to be 2000 (I have not yet checked to see whether its a real updated version), but the book itself is 1993. I am disappointed in that date, because I expect it will lack a lot of recent techno-jargon that I would have expected in a 2000 publication.