Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary: Brown-Leather-Like/Stock #10

by Merriam-Webster

The 1998 10th edition of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary marks the 100th anniversary of this distinguished and popular reference standard, and this is more than just an interesting statistic--it means that Merriam-Webster brings years of experience and reams of citation files to the creation of this latest edition. Improving on their last dictionary, they've added more than 100 pictorial illustrations and supplemented the synonym paragraphs with examples. Along with the English dictionary, which forms the heart of the reference, the editors at Merriam-Webster have included a brief introduction to the English language and a history of the English dictionary, a guide to pronunciation, and a series of appendices that include chemical element abbreviations and symbols, foreign words and phrases, extensive sections with biographical and geographical names, signs and symbols, and a handbook of style.

But getting back to the book itself--it's impressively comprehensive for a collegiate dictionary, with more than 215,000 definitions. Each item includes a pithy wealth of information, with first usage date, etymology, and pronunciation, and clear, precise definitions. In addition, there are often usage notes, synonym cross-references, illustrative quotations, variant spellings and pronunciations, regional labels, and information on capitalization, function, and inflections. Then there are the extra touches. Under bible, for example, there's a chart detailing books of the Old Testament, Jewish Scripture, Protestant apocrypha, and books of the New Testament. Under months is a table listing the months of the principal calendars--Gregorian, Jewish, and Islamic. And wonderful line drawings illustrate terms such as mackerel, lyrebird, hedgehog, and the ancient Celtic stringed instrument known as a crowd. All this makes it a valuable reference--detailed enough for editors and writers, accessible enough for students and casual definition seekers, updated with the new vocabulary of technology, and rigorous enough for the linguistic perfectionists. --Stephanie Gold

Genres: Reference, Nonfiction, Language, Writing, Dictionaries, School, Research

1563 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1843

Reviews

[Seizure Romero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freaking brilliant. Totally unique plot structure and a surprise ending that just blew me away. I can't say too many good things and I just can't stop reading it. The author's vocabulary is astounding.

[Mariel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Word.

[Carl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have only started reading this book but find the plot to be all over the place. I can't really get a feel for where the storyline is going. It really is broken up into such small chapters that I'm going crazy! I have at least come to find out that what I am feeling is "Angst".

[Tim Scherer · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was so boring. The plot was very difficult to follow and for the life of me I could not identify the protagonist or antagonist... SPOILER ALERT: it ends in zygote!

[Steven Nutting]

Only one "twist" and "turn" in the whole thing so far, but I am only on the V's.

[7709kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is no clear plot to this book, no characters, no foundation. The authors word choices are astounding and truly descriptive.

[Allie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too many words. Not sure why this one is a classic...

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alas and alack, I'm pining away over the demise of my thumb-worn tenth edition. Something in the way she lay--her clothbound boards downy to the fingers; her notches guiding my thumb to just the right recess; her intoxicating fragrance, within the folds, along the spine--attracts me like no other printing.

Alas and alack! She is put to rest.

A consumation devoutly to be wished for?

The eleventh edition, uncouth imitation of the tenth, feels hard to the touch and looks just as adamant, with its garish, glossy cardboard cover; its smell reeking of some olfactory battle between acrid and sour.

The updated contents, unfortunately, are a must for the type of editing I do.

Alas and alack!

[Jessica Norman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that is truly timeless.
Beautifully written, thorough, descriptive.

They say reading is knowledge... well this book proves that for sure!!!


No seriously? I'm a total weirdo I do in fact read the dictionary on occasion. whatever...

[Christy Stewart · Rating 1 out of 5]

The most detrimental book in existence and Satanic by, ironically, definition.

Language is the most influential tool in mind control. Language is the external expression of reality as a personal paradigm and supplanting one’s language into another is to manipulate the person into experiencing only what you allow.

Looking up the definition of a word is like unto sitting in a mass being given in a language foreign to you and being denied the opportunity to experience the Bible yourself. It is dogmatic, outdated and laughable

The dictionary is the bible of the spineless communicator.

The most empowering moment one can experience is to use a word “incorrectly” in a sentence, be corrected, and not care. That is enlightenment. That is transcendence. That is the epitome of the phrase “ignorance is bliss” because ignorance is not the state of unknowing but of truly living the truth of your own reality (these concepts, truth and reality, obviously not being one in the same.)

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently learned that it is considered standard to gift recent High School graduates, on their way to college with a copy of
Oh, the Places You'll Go!. While I love Dr. Suess as much as the next person, it strikes me as a fairly useless, even insulting, present to give a young adult as they prepare to up their academic game and take on the challenges and competition of University life. My parents gave me this, which I’ve kept all these years, not out of sentiment, but because it is a vital tool for intellectual work.

While I was in college, one of my professors (since departed) made a fascinating suggestion: every time you look up a word in your dictionary, highlight it and write the date you looked it up next to it. I did this for maybe two or three years, with reasonable consistency, which means I can now see that I looked up “abscess” on 3/25/1992, “antinomian” sometime in 1991, and “auctorial” on New Years, 1992. People who use internet sources to define words will never have such a record – or at least not until e-books become more functional and permanent. On the other hand, I didn’t really stick to it, so the process of my vocabulary expansion isn’t as well documented as it could be.

The power of words is enormous, and the only way to truly tap into that power is to understand the ways in which they are used. A good dictionary, like this one, takes usage into account and provides at least some etymological background to help see the ways in which meaning is contingent, historical, and shifting. No dictionary is perfect, and of course this one is no match for the Oxford Dictionary of English, but it’s a good solid college-level dictionary, small enough to be portable for those of us intellectuals who move around a lot, but large enough to cover most of the words you’ll come up against up until your GREs.

[Monica · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one classic I'm not sure everyone has to read. Lacking a narrative cohesiveness one is left wondering: what is the plot? Who is the main character? Can you pick one setting instead of ALL settings? For the more conservative reader, you'll find fuck, shit, and jackass are treated on equal footing with honor, cloister, and the. Other than being the source of one of the best parlor games I've ever co-invented (The Dictionary Game) this unmemorable tome is just a glorified doorstop. (It also left me with low self-esteem issues: clarifying and validating that I am a dreadful speller with little to no chance of ever getting much better. THANKS DICTIONARY).

[Tom · Rating 1 out of 5]

This by far is the worst book i've ever read. It makes no sense at all. There's no story line. No climax. No resolution or even a protagonist. I mean tells you what a protagonist is but there isn't one. This book is literally just a bunch of random words listed in alphabetically order and some information about the words. I can't even pronounce some of these words. This book is a piece of shit and couldn't even finish it. Merriam-Webster is the worst book author ever. Just thinking about this book makes me feel TURBULENT, TURBULENT I tell you!

[Josh]

What a wonderful book!!! I've read it like 63,000 times, I loved the characters, the plot was AWESOME, one of the best plots i ever read, though it was kinda hard to distinguish the plot cuz the whole thing's in alphabetical order and ya have to kinda re arrange the words to understand it, but hey, it's a small price to pay for a really great book! I hope Mr. Webster writes a sequel :)

[Mike Cyra · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Dad always told me, "You want a good book to read? Pick up a dictionary." He was right.

[Steven · Rating 1 out of 5]

too many words

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

My roommate salvaged our copy from a trash bin. I like the way the red linen cover feels, despite the water stains.

I hope they're water stains.

[Pork Fried Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

this saved my life several times. once from a bullet, once from a drunk driver, and several times on ela projects.

[Lisa (Harmonybites) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should own a collegiate dictionary--that is, a substantial, if still abridged, dictionary with far more information than you find by just googling a word--or that would even fit in a pocket dictionary. Well, anyone who has to routinely compose writing more complex than grocery lists. My old Random House College Dictionary proved perfectly serviceable for decades--which was the problem. The copyright was 1984. You couldn't even find the word "internet" there, let alone such words in my shiny new Meriam-Webster (11th Edition) as: microblogging, smartphone, social media and tweet. So, with the new year, out with the old, in with the new! And this comes with the ability to download a digital version on your computer with registration.

There's a reason by the way I went with Merriam-Webster rather than choosing a new edition of Random House. The most important thing I think in a dictionary isn't just that it's thorough and accurate--it's of greatest value if it's standard and authoritative. And I'd read in multiple sources that the Meriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary is the standard dictionary in American publishing, one of the essential tools of an editor. At least an American editor--I'm sure those writing in British English will cherish their Oxford English Dictionary!

[Laina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haha okay okay, so I haven't actually read the WHOLE dictionary, but I feel like it's worth mentioning! Do we ever give the dictionary enough credit? I THINK NOT! :P

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

My go to dictionary.

[mia e · Rating 1 out of 5]

hard to stay hooked, expected a plot twist at the end at least but nope

[Adrian]

this is a classic why isnt there a movie adaptation yet

[on God; on Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

holy shit

[Becky From Kansas · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re in the mood for an absurdly comprehensive tome that’s bizarrely brilliant for bedtime reading (assuming you’re the type to drift off mid-definition), look no further than this reference book. This crammed compendium of words is delightfully dull in the most fascinating way, endlessly entertaining for logophiles and crossword champions. Sure, it’s fantastically full of words you’ll never actually use, and some entries are groan-worthy at best, but it’s heroically heavy—perfect for pressing flowers or defending your home from invaders. It’s infinitely informative yet not exactly a page-turner, filled with jargon-y entries and a kooky obsession with alphabet order. It’s laboriously long but monumentally mundane in a way that’s oddly satisfying for word nerds. This nerd-tastic beast is overwhelmingly overstuffed with knowledge, painfully precise in its definitions, and quirky enough to keep you flipping pages out of sheer curiosity. Ridiculously robust and suspiciously serious about everything, it’s tirelessly thorough—a real labor of love. It’s unabashedly unapologetic about its wordiness, victorious in its quest to define literally everything, and wickedly weighty—seriously, you could prop up a table with this thing. It’s x-tra exhaustive (yep, I’m cheating with “x-tra” here), yawningly yawn-worthy if you’re not a fan of definitions, and zealously zealous about words, proving that this book really loves them. If you’re not looking for a thrilling tale but instead want an A-to-Z masterpiece for your shelf (or to squash that spider in the corner), this delivers.

[Toad Soup · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so bored today I read this

[Jackie Leahy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literally has everything in it.

[Lafcadio · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many dictionaries in the world. Many crappy dictionaries. I quite enjoy this one. It seldom lets me down. I use it so often, I can find it on my shelf in the dark. What better way to spend a Saturday Night?

[Guruprem Khalsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wonderful dictionary has served me well ever since I purchased my first one in high school, beginning in September of 1968. It makes an excellent gift for any student with high aspirations! Looking up random words is often fun, especially if you "let one thing lead to another"...

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best dictionary I've owned. Don't really understand the purpose of the biographical and geographic sections; they don't contain enough information to be very useful, and Merriam-Webster already has special dictionaries for both subjects.