Encyclopedias & Dictionaries

• Dictionaries
• Encyclopedias
• Special Dictionaries (visual, rhyming, etc.)
• World Languages

Databases    (Show more)

Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos
Contiene información sobre gente, lugares, objetos, acontecimientos e ideas para los estudiantes de primaria a secundaria. Incluye enlaces a periódicos en español de todo el mundo. Aprovecha esta enciclopedia para investigar y divertirte. more info.

Encyclopædia Britannica Online
Accompanying the expansive encyclopedia articles are primary sources, news, websites, video, images, magazine articles, eBooks, and an interactive atlas. more info.

Grolier Online
Search all of HCL's Grolier databases simultaneously or individually. Includes Lands and Peoples, New Book of Popular Science, Amazing Animals of the World, New Book of Knowledge, Encyclopedia Americana, America the Beautiful, Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, and La Nueva Enciclopedia Cumbre. more info.

Lands & Peoples
Interactive encyclopedia of countries cultures and events. Covers land, climate, people, government. Includes maps, images, data, time-lines, and links. more info.

Oxford English Dictionary Online
Find the meaning, history, and pronunciation of over half a million words. more info.

(Show more)

 

Websites

Wordnik: all the words 
Modern dictionary with photos, tweets and user comments. Includes traditional definitions and usage notes.
http://www.wordnik.com/

Google Translate 
Enter text, webpage URL or upload a document for translation between more than 50 languages.
http://translate.google.com/#

Visual Dictionary Online 
A visual dictionary organized by themes provided by Merriam-Webster.
http://visual.merriam-webster.com/i
ndex.php

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary 
Dictionary and thesaurus. Provides synonyms, antonyms, and audio pronunciation.
http://www.m-w.com/

Browse Topics 
Browse by topic for government information on a variety of topics such as law, history, military, the environment and many more.
http://www.browsetopics.gov/

Written Sound 
A dictionary of onomatopoeia:  words that imitate sounds, such as "kaboom" or "bwahaha."
http://www.writtensound.com

Acronym Finder 
Find out what initials, abbreviations and acronyms stand for.
http://www.acronymfinder.com/

Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms 
Provides definitions and examples of common idioms used in American, British and Australian English.
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/def
ault.asp?dict=I

Confusing Words 
Is it affect or effect? Capitol or capital? Confusing Words is a collection of words that are often troublesome for writers and readers. 
http://www.confusingwords.com/

Definr 
An incredibly fast dictionary that suggests words as you type. 
http://definr.com

Dictionary.com 
Discover the spelling, meaning and pronunciation of words.
http://dictionary.reference.com/

Encyclopedia Mythica 
An encyclopedia of folklore, legends, religion and mythology.  Browse by region of the world or search by areas of interest.
http://www.pantheon.org/

Etymology Online 
Etymologies are explanations of what words meant throughout history, and where the words come from.  Includes suffixes and prefixes.
http://www.etymonline.com/

InfoPlease Almanac 
Online version of the popular almanac which you can browse by topic or search. Also includes the Random House Webster's College Dictionary and the Columbia Encyclopedia.
http://www.infoplease.com/

Library Subject Guide: Ready Reference & Fast Facts  
Check out more resources selected by Hennepin County librarians.
http://www.hclib.org/pub/search/Sub
jectGuides.cfm?Topic=Ready%20Re
ference/Fast%20Facts

OneLook Reverse Dictionary 
Find a word if you know the definition.
http://www.onelook.com/reverse-dict
ionary.shtml

Quotations at Bartleby.com 
Search by keyword for modern and classic quotes.  Results returned from four quotation dictionaries.
http://www.bartleby.com/quotations/

RhymeZone 
Find rhymes and synonyms for English words.
http://www.rhymezone.com/

Symbols.com 
An encyclopedia about the history and meaning of Western symbols. Search by graphics or by text.
http://www.symbols.com/

WordReference Online Language Dictionaries 
Bilingual dictionaries for Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese. 
http://www.wordreference.com/

YourDictionary 
Find words and phrases.  Includes specialized dictionaries, word games and language forums.
http://www.yourdictionary.com/

Last updated: May. 6, 2012
This page maintained by Christina G.