How to Use an Online Dictionary

"We were playing Upwords," my aunt explained, "and I thought I'd use the word 'maven'. But they said it wasn't a word, and I couldn't find it in the dictionary!"

"Maven?" I exclaimed. "Of course it's a word."

My uncle went one direction for a dictionary, and my aunt went another. Uncle Bill came back with a smaller one. "Maven" was not in it. Then we checked in the giant and rather elderly dictionary that my aunt came back with. We found several sets of dried flowers that had been left in it, but no mavens.

"It's a word! I know it's a word!" I insisted.

We had to wait until my cousin woke up to get the answer. He had yet another dictionary in his room: the American Heritage Dictionary.

"It's a word of Yiddish origin that means 'a person who has special knowledge or experience,'" he announced.

"Aha!" we cried. I'd had no idea that the word had Yiddish origins, either, so that was interesting.

If I'd only had my laptop with me (and the ability to access internet service in my grandfather's house) we might have found our answer even sooner. Online dictionaries give speedy answers to these types of questions.

I often use online dictionaries while writing. Definitions are especially handy for making arguments. You can precisely define the words and terms you are using in order to make a point. For instance, I once used an online dictionary to help point out the difference between satire and parody.

The easiest source to remember is dictionary.com. This site gives you much more than a simple definition. My dictionary.com search for maven returned entries from five different dictionaries, with pronunciation and etymology information included. Dictionary.com also provides proper citations for these sources, which are important for writers to use.

In addition, dictionary.com provides thesaurus entries, for those who need synonyms, and encyclopedia entries for more in-depth information. In fact, dictionary.com is actually part of a larger site called reference.com, which encompasses a wide variety of reference materials.

Another online dictionary is Merriam-Webster Online (Merriam-webster.com). Merriam-Webster has dictionary definitions and thesaurus entries, and will happily point you to Britannica Online for more in-depth information. Merriam-Webster is slightly more kid-oriented, and features a Word Central for Kids area, and a Scripps National Spelling Bee study site.

MSN's Encarta (dictionary.msn.com) also has a dictionary, thesaurus, and encyclopedia. In addition, you can access a world atlas, with basic maps from around the globe. If you're an MSN subscriber, you can also access MSN Encarta Premium services. The Premium atlas service allows you to view language maps, climate maps, population maps, etc.

When using an online dictionary for schoolwork or writing, it is important to properly cite the dictionary as a source. The format of your citation may differ depending on what citation style your teacher or editor prefers. As an example, dictionary.com provides this citation for the definition of "maven" from the American Heritage Dictionary (which I used above). This citation follows the Modern Language Association, or MLA, style:

"maven" The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 12 Oct. 2007. .

As you can see, this citation includes the word defined, the name and edition of the dictionary, the publisher and publication date, the date I looked it up (important because websites do change), and the URL of the definition. A good citation will include all of that information, although the format and order of the information may be different, depending on the style guide used.

The online dictionary is a wondrous and useful thing. The only problem is that I can't press flowers with it. I'll just have to find another method online!