Product Description

Now available together, the New Oxford American Dictionary, CD and print edition offer complete access to this unrivaled work. Containing more than 250,000 definitions and 9,000 biographical and geographical entries, NOAD provides the most accurate and richly descriptive picture of American English ever offered. The CD-ROM version gives dictionary users what they really need from an electronic dictionary--easy, intuitive interaction with word processing and browser software. The dictionary engine is user-friendly and unobtrusive, allowing users to save the last fifty searches and display the last five, automatically replace words in a document with the words you've found in the dictionary, search for words within an entry, quickly and easily print dictionary entries, and enter your own words into a customizable User Dictionary. These user-friendly characteristics carry-over to the print edition of NOAD. To provide unprecedented clarity, the entries are organized around core meanings, eliminating clutter and confusion, especially in longer entries. Rather than a litany of numbered senses, the structure of each entry plainly shows the major meaning or meanings of the word, plus any related senses, supplemented by illustrative, in-context examples of actual usage. In short, The New Oxford American Dictionary is designed to serve the user clearly, simply, and quickly, with a full measure of information value and precise guidance. Truly a revolution in the art and craftof dictionary-making, The New Oxford American Dictionary CD-ROM and print edition provide the in-depth and up-to-date coverage that all users need and expect--for reading and study, for technical terms, for language guidance. It continues the tradition of scholarship and lexicographic excellence that are the hallmarks of every Oxford dictionary. System requirements: PC with 166MHz Pentium-class processor; Windows 95/98/Me/2000/XP or NT 4.0; 32 Mb RAM; 80 Mb free hard disk space; SVGA monitor, displaying 16-bit color (64K, High color)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2051707 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04-14
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 2064 pages

From Library Journal
In this new dictionary, Jewell (editor of numerous Penguin Book of Sunday Times Crosswords) and Abate (editor of The Pocket Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus) offer an atypical layout and a new approach to presenting definitions and meanings. They analyzed words using computational tools and distilled the definitions into "core" meanings. In a definition, each core meaning of a word is followed by several "subsenses," which provide subtle pictures of how a word's meaning can change, depending on the context. In the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (LJ 10/15/00, 4th ed.), for example, 16 possible meanings are listed for the verb "drag," which has only four "core" meanings here. Each core meaning, however, is followed by many subsenses. Thus, one definition for drag is to "pull (someone or something) along forcefully, roughly, or with difficulty." Nine subsenses follow this one core sense, such as "take someone to or from a place or event, despite their reluctance" and "move (an icon or other image) across a computer screen using a tool such as a mouse." Entries include grammatical information, numerous examples of how a word is used, word origins, some usage information, syllabication, and pronunciation. In addition to defining words, this also includes people and places and, finally, a set of "Ready Reference" appendixes, which cover everything from word usage and punctuation to the elements, hall of fame information, temperature, and selected proverbs. This section probably lends itself better to home than library use, but the only real problem with the dictionary is that the pronunciation guide is found only at the beginning, making it difficult for the user to refer to it quickly. With black-and-white and halftone illustrations, this is not as glossily attractive as the American Heritage and doesn't replace it since there are words and definitions in one that are not in the other. However, with its unique approach to language, this is easy to use and provides clear, well-written definitions. Recommended for most libraries. Cynthia A. Johnson, Barnard Coll. Lib., NY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
The New Oxford American Dictionary, (NOAD), may be competition for the American Heritage Dictionary (4th ed., 2000). Both of these dictionaries are a cross between a desk and an unabridged dictionary. They each have about 2,000 pages and more than 100,000 definitions.

The words in NOAD are taken from the 200-million-word databank of the North American Reading Program of Oxford University Press and the files of the Oxford English Dictionary. The entries are structured around "core" senses. Core is defined as "the one that represents the most literal use that the word has in ordinary modern American usage," which may not necessarily be the oldest or most frequent use. Core senses appear first in each definition, with related subsenses grouped under the core. For example, label is defined first as "a small piece of paper, fabric, plastic, or similar material attached to an object and giving information about it," with various other meanings (e.g., "the name or trademark of a fashion company"; "a classifying phrase or thing applied to a person or thing") listed as subsenses.

The definitions are clear and descriptive but still provide technical information when necessary. Some words are used in a sentence to illustrate meaning, although NOAD does not use quotations as the American Heritage Dictionary does. Pronunciation is given, but the pronunciation key is found only in the introduction. Following the tradition of the OED, many entries include word origins. Labels ("dated," "humorous," "offensive," "vulgar slang," etc.) indicate in what context a word should be used. As is now common in dictionaries, there are 5,000 place-names (Dan River, Eiffel Tower), 4,000 biographical entries (Lenin, Vladimir and Lennon, John, both with black-and-white photographs), and 3,000 proper names (Blue Law State, Organization of American States). There are line drawings of some items (dumbbell, gazebo) and simple maps of countries. Also included are highlighted boxes of usage (Hispanic, mental) and some encyclopedic information, usually a paragraph in length (Bronze Age, Paraguay). Current terms include cybersex (but not cybercafe), dot-com, downsize, HTML, and SUV. A ready-reference section at the end of the volume has an odd assortment of items--usage and punctuation guides, the Constitution, weights and measures, heat index and windchill temperatures, selected proverbs, and members of the Baseball, Basketball, Pro Football, and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame.

This dictionary shouldn't be confused with other dictionaries that Oxford has published recently--The Oxford American Desk Dictionary (1998), The Oxford American Dictionary of Current English (1999), The Oxford American Dictionary and Language Guide (1999), or The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Style (2000). To choose between NOAD and the fourth edition of the American Heritage Dictionary is difficult. The American Heritage Dictionary is aesthetically more pleasing, with color photos and maps in the margin. But NOAD, with the OED database behind it, provides a well-researched and current source of definitions of U.S. English and is $10 cheaper. For all high-school, academic, and public libraries. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From the Publisher
1600 b/w illus and halftones