Dictionaries and other word resources

“[I]f you use a dictionary, use more than one and check editions from the date of enactment as well as current.”
Michael B.W. Sinclair, Guide to Statutory Interpretation (2000)

For a list of historical law dictionaries, read this entry.

Legal Dictionaries

• One-L Dictionary
• Law Dictionaries
• Pocket Spanish English Legal Dictionary (print and online)
• English to Spanish to English dictionaries
• Word reference legal translator
• Law Dictionary
• International Law Dictionary
• More Dictionaries
  • Practice and Procedure Legal Dictionary
  • Torts Legal Dictionary
  • Divorce Procedure Law Dictionary
  • Personal Property and Agency Legal Dictionary
  • Marriage Law Dictionary
  • Labor and Employment Law Dictionary
  • Penal Law NY
• Estate Law Dictionary
  • Wills and Testaments Law Dictionary
  • Lapses, Revocation and Ademption Law Dictionary
  • Trust Law Dictionary
  • Will Clauses Law Dictionary
  • Disinheritance and Intestacy Law Dictionary
  • Personal Representative of Estate Law Dictionary
  • Setting up an Estate Law Dictionary
• Business Law Dictionary
  • Bankrupcy Law Dictionary
  • Business Organization Dictionary
  • Negotiable Instruments Dictionary
  • Private Equity Law Dictionary
• Contract Law Dictionary
  • Contract Formation Law Dictionary
  • Contract Requirements Law Dictionary
  • Contract Discharge and Third Parties Law Dictionary
• Criminal Law Dictionary
  • Defenses and Accomplice Liability Law Dictionary
  • Homicide Law Dictonary
  • Property Crime Law Dictionary
  • Crimes against the Person Law Dictionary
  • Drug Abuse and Crimes against Morality Law Dictionary
• Civil Litigation Law Dictionary
• Patent Legal Dictionary
• Real Estate Legal Dictionary
  • Real Property Acquisition Law Dictionary
  • Estates in Real Property Law Dictionary
    • Multiple Ownership of Real Property Law Dictionary
  • Deeds Law Dictionary
  • Mortgages Law Dictionary
  • Real Estate Recording System Law Dictionary
  • Landlord and Tenant Law Dictionary
  • Real Estate Air and Water Rights Dictionary
  • Real Estate Easements, Zoning and Restrictions Law Dictionary
• Bank Dictionary
• Human Rights Dictionary
• Notary Legal Terms Dictionary
• Popular Terms
  • Popular Definitions A-Z
  • Popular Meanings A-Z

Dictionaries and word reference

• American Heritage Dictionary (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). Searchable classical reference work.
• The Online Plain Text English Dictionary (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources) Based on the 1913 US Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary
• Hutchinson Dictionary of Difficult Words.(Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources)
• British National Corpus (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). Only freely available in part.
• Cambridge Dictionaries (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). Several dictionaries.
• Merriam-Webster (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). The classical Collegiate Dictionary.
• OneLook Dictionaries (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). Several hundred online dictionaries in one.
• Oxford English Dictionary online (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). Only free for UK residents with a library card.
• YourDictionary.com (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). Several Dictionaries in more than one hundred languages.
• Visual Thesaurus (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). Here you can visualise links between words. There are other resources on the site.
• AFFIXES DICTIONARY (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources)

Dictionary centres

Australian National Dictionary Centre (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). By the Publishers of the Australian National Dictionary.

Scottish National Dictionary Association (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). By the Compilers of the standard dictionary of modern Scots.

Dictionary Unit for South African English (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). Some articles on South African English.

Language and literature

The American Language (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). The H L MenckenÂ’s dictionary (2nd edition), available at Bartleby.com.

British Library Language & Literature centre (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). Several resources about language and reference works, including the history of dictionaries.

The Elements of Style (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). The first edition of this famous work by William Strunk. Because is from 1918, it has only historical interest.

From Worldwideworld.org:

• ARTICLES (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources)
• QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources)
• REVIEWS (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources)
• TOPICAL WORDS (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources)
• TURNS OF PHRASE (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources)
• WEIRD WORDS (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources)

Linguistics/phonetics

Ask a Linguist (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). FAQs relating to linguistics.

The Eggcorn Database (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). A collection of “Eggcorns” (unusual spellings caused by writers trying to make sense of unfamiliar words).

Professor John Lawler questions and answers (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). About Linguistics.

Linguist List home page (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). Mailing lists.

Phonetics and Linguistics (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). From England.

 

Regional Issues

American Dialect Society (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). A very comprehensive source of information.

Dictionary of American Regional English (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). A current project.

Estuary English (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). Resources about British language.

Scots Online (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). Some information about the spoken and written Scots language.

Regular Web columns and blogs

Arnold ZwickyÂ’s blog (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). Arnold Zwicky is Professor of Linguistics in the U.S.

DCBlog (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). David CrystalÂ’s blog (not updated)

Language Log (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). Professional and current commentaries about language.

Oxford Etymologist (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). About the origins of words.

Separated By A Common Language (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). About British and American English.

Take Our Word For It (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources).

Vocabula Review (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). A monthly magazine on vocabulary.

Word Detective (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources).

Slang

Dictionary of Slang (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). Slangs from Great Britain.

Double-Tongued Word Wrester (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). Slangs from the U.S.

The Jargon File (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). A complete compilation of computing words. It is the original source of the New HackerÂ’s Dictionary.

Online Slang Dictionary (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). In general user-contributed slang dictionary.

The Septic’s Companion: A British Slang Dictionary (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). Formerly it was called “The English-to-American Dictionary.”

Variety Slanguage Dictionary (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). Glossary of invented words.

Style guides and language guidance

Common Errors in English (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources).

The Guardian Style Guide (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). The style guide for The Observer and the Guardian.

Guide to Grammar and Style (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). For business writers and beyond.

US Government Printing Office Style Manual (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources).

General interest

alt.usage.english (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). From a very active Usenet newsgroup.

Martha BarnetteÂ’s Fun Words (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). A compilation of less common words.

BuzzWhack (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). Tries to demystifying buzzwords.

e-editor (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). For online copyeditors.

Focusing On Words (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). Latin and Greek elements used in English. It is a Mailing list.

Fun With Words (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). Fun site about words, including puzzles and games.

Luciferous Logolepsy (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). Almost 10,000 obscure English words.

Rhetoric (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). An A-Z comprehensive site about rhetoric.

Dave WiltonÂ’s Etymology Page (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). About the origins of words in English.

Words and Stuff (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). About the language world.

Word Wizard (Dictionary, Definitions, Words and other Resources). FAQs about new and old words, and Lexicography.

See Also

Bouvier’s Law Dictionary and Concise Encyclopedia, 1914, Historical Dictionary of International Tribunals, International commercial arbitration, John Bouvier, Law Dictionaries, Law global results of the 200 top searches in Google 2, Law global results of the 200 top searches in Google, List of Australian Reports, List of law keywords by competence in Google adwords, List of top law keywords in Google by global searches, Mozley and Whiteley´s Law Dictionary, Osborn´s Concise Law Dictionary, Parry and Grant Encyclopaedic Dictionary of International Law, Top 250 law keywords in Google by search, Top U.S. google searches for attorneys, legal, lawyer and law, Top global google searches for attorneys, legal, lawyer and law.