LibGuides: Composition II (ENGL 1213): Encyclopedias/Dictionaries

Encyclopedias & Other Reference Sources

Start here to use the Library's online encyclopedias and dictionaries for a much better reference source than Wikipedia to find a definition of a person, place, or concept.

Oxford Reference Online
Helpful collection of full-text specialized dictionaries and subject encyclopedias. Also find maps, quotations, bilingual dictionaries here.
Gale Ebooks (Formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library)
In excess of 19,000 full-text documents (HTML/PDF) with illustrations included in more than 45 print equivalent titles. Search/browse each e-book title individually, by collection (literature, history, medicine, etc., ) or across all titles. A terrific supplement to our print reference collection.
Funk & Wagnall's New World Encyclopedia
Over 25,000 encyclopedic entries, searchable by subject or keywords.

General Dictionaries

Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus
Trustworthy dictionary with word definitions that includes medical terminology, Word of the Day, and Browse for words by topic and more features.
OneLook Dictionaries
A dictionary search engine that includes searches for word definitions in nearly 2000 dictionaries.

Subject/Specialized Dictionaries

Biography - Gale in Context
Look up profiles and articles on famous and influential people from all areas and walks of life. Resource Subscription is shared with OSU-Tulsa

Oxford English Dictionary
The Mother of all English dictionaries. Search for the
etmyology (history & development) of a word, complete
with information about its first appearance in the English language.