The Random House Dictionary [antikvár]

PrefaceThis new dictionary is intended to meet the needs of those who want up-to-date, comprehensive, reliable information about the English language-andwho, at the same time, prefer a dictionary that is compact in format andavailable at a price they can readily afford.There are more than 70,000 entries in this book, many thousands morethan in any comparable dictionary. This number is necessary to cover thevocabularygeneral words, scientific and technical terms, foreign wordsand phrases, abbreviations, idiomatic expressions, etc.of present-day usersof English. In selecting the vocabulary to be included, we had the specialbenefit of our large citation file (based on the continuous examination ofbooks, magazines, and newspapers, the analysis of special vocabulary lists,the noting of words used in radio and television broadcasts, etc.).In the writing of the definitions, we have had two central aims: first, tomake them fully reliable in content; second, to write them in clear, precise,modern English. Usage labels and notes have been entered, when neces-sary, as further guidance for the user. Similarly, when useful, examplephrases and sentences have been added to individual definitions. Synonymlists have been given especially when they might help the user achievegreater variety or effectiveness in the choice of words; these lists have beencarefully keyed to appropriate individual definitions.Throughout this book we have tried to free our definitions of sexism, rac-ism, and other prejudices. We believe that we have done so more thoroughlythan ever before in lexicographic history.For pronunciation, we have used a simple and accurate key, shown insidethe front cover. The pronunciations given here are the ones usually encoun-tered and may, therefore, be used with confidence in their acceptability.To increase the usefulness of this book, we have included a basic manualof style, dealing with such matters as punctuation, capitalization, italics,footnotes, manuscript preparation, etc. The recommendations of this man-ual reflect the practices of most modem writers and conform generally tothe preferences of the Modem Language Association.This dictionary is the latest addition to the series of Random House Dic-tionaries a widely and generously praised series prepared by our perma-nent lexicographic staff with the assistance of hundreds of recognizedscholars and experts.