Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary (Mass Market Paperback)

~ Roger W. Pease Jr. (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary packs more than 35,000 entries filled with information into an easy-to-use paperback home and office guide to medical terminology. This up-to-date reference provides definitions for long-established terms and new words, including medical prefixes, suffixes, and abbreviations. Brand names and generic equivalents of many commonly used medications are also included.

About the Author

Since 1937. Merriam-Webster is America's foremost publisher of language-related reference works. The company publishes a diverse array of print and electronic products, including Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, Eleventh Edition – America's best-selling desk dictionary – and Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. Merriam-Webster can be considered the direct lexicographical heir of Noah Webster. In 1843, the company bought the rights to the 1841 edition of Webster's magnum opus, An American Dictionary of the English Language, Corrected and Enlarged. At the same time, they secured the rights to create revised editions of the work. Since that time, Merriam-Webster editors have carried forward Noah Webster's work, creating some of the most widely used and respected dictionaries and reference books in the world.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 800 pages
• Publisher: Merriam-Webster (May 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877799148
• ISBN-13: 978-0877799146
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #617,128 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Compact paperback manages to be comprehensive, May 14, 2004

By	Brian Hulett "okierazorbacker2" (Oinklahoma) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a medical transcriptionist with limited office space in my home, even shelf space for my reference material is limited. I could have gotten a larger, more complete medical dictionary, and frankly there have been times that would have come in handy. But due to space considerations, this almost pocket-sized (yet very thick) volume has been a very pleasant surprise. While some features of larger dictionaries are missing, such as cross-referencing and extensive lists under "syndrome," "disease," etc., in my line of work I usually only need the spelling of such terms rather than definition, and I have specialty books from Stedman's to provide that; for a quick reference to find definitions of the 35,000 terms in this book, I'm thrilled to have an inexpensive, compact reference like this.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is a great tool!, September 6, 2002

By	Donald S. Meador "imthman" (Novo Hamburgo, Brazil) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Merriam-Webster's Medical Audio Dictionary (Merriam Webster's Medical Audio Dictionary) (CD-ROM)

My wife just returned to doing medical transcription work from home. We needed a medical dictionary for the words she was not familiar with. We found the Merriam-Webster's Medical Audio Dictionary. However, we opted for the Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary with CD-ROM. We are very pleased with this medical dictionary, primarily because it is bundled with the CD-ROM.

The CD version of the dictionary includes a search engine. So, when doing transcription, the search engine can be used on the dictionary without having to pull out a book and sift through 57,000 definitions. This is a great bonus. The CD also includes abbreviations for the medical terms. They even included a feature allowing you to hear the word pronounced correctly. I only found one drawback to the search engine. When looking at the list of terms you have to click on a term to see the definition. Sometimes two words are spelled similarly and sound nearly the same. If the word you clicked on is not the word you need, you have to clear the search and start over - there is no way to return to the list of words from your original query. At least, we have not found a way to do so.

The dictionary itself contains 57,000 medical terms with understandable definitions. The definitions are more limited than in Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary. For example, the MW definition of sclerosis includes reference to one other disease (multiple sclerosis). Dorland's definition of sclerosis includes references to about 40 varieties of sclerosis (including brief explanations of each). Therefore, the MW medical dictionary is not the most exhaustive on the market. It certainly would not do for a Doctor, but it is quite sufficient for a home dictionary. The MW medical dictionary is not illustrated, nor does it include abbreviations for the terms defined.

Overall, the Merriam-Webster's Medical Audio Dictionary has met our needs. Since the hardback bundled with the CD was only about $10 more, we got both. The CD is great, but we still like real books too. We are pleased with the purchase.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An Easy-to-Use Medical Dictionary with Excellent Audio, September 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Merriam-Webster's Medical Audio Dictionary (Merriam Webster's Medical Audio Dictionary) (CD-ROM)

Merriam-Webster's Medical Audio Dictionary is easy to install and use. The program is extremely stable. Definitions are usually succinct. The best feature is its clear, real human pronunciation of medical terminology. Compared to other medical encyclopedias, this dictionary does not contain as many illustrations. But it does give you pronunciations of virtually all medical words and their derivitives (noun, adjective, etc).