The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language

8652 Pages·1994·47.09 MB·English

by  Editors of The American Heritage Dictionaries

INTRODUCTION
Almost a quarter of a century ago a new dictionary bearing the name
American Heritage appeared. That book was notable because it did four things and
it did them well. It faithfully recorded the language in easily understood definitions.
It provided guidance toward accuracy, precision, and grace in the use of English
that intelligent people need and seek in a dictionary. It traced, whenever possible,
the development of English words to their origins and keyed many to an Appendix
of Indo-European Roots. And it presented complex lexical data in a typographically
attractive design accented by thousands of photographs and line drawings in spa-
cious margins. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edi-
tion, builds upon this distinguished, innovative foundation.
The pages of the Third Edition, a lexicon of more than 200,000 boldface
forms, hundreds of thousands of meanings, and nearly 4,000 pieces of art, reflect
the rich and varied texture of American English as it has been used over time by a
broad group of educated speakers. This Dictionary is the product of four years of
work by 175 contributors. In preparing the Dictionary, our editors have had access
to a database containing hundreds of millions of lines of text that could be searched
for any word in context.
The A-Z vocabulary, containing more than 16,000 words and meanings new
to this Edition, is a comprehensive, detailed record of the language. Use of citations
allowed the editors to identify new words and new meanings, identify levels of us-
age, and select more than 4,000 quoted illustrations from nearly 2,000 sources for
use in exemplifying entry words in printed context. The quoted illustrations range
from the works of Shakespeare, Pope, and Ruskin to the works of contemporary
writers such as Joyce Carol Oates, Joan Didion, John Updike, and Tom Wicker.
More than 30,000 nonquoted illustrative examples were also derived from study of
the citations. Finally, the citations were used to determine the status of variants. For
example, 4,000 electronic citations were accrued for the spelling ambiance and
about 2,000 were found for the variant ambience. On the basis of this 2:1 ratio the
Dictionary gives ambience as an "unequal," or less frequently occurring, variant of
the entry word ambiance.
If language is a reflection of the ethos of the generation speaking it, then the
new entries and meanings in this Edition have much to say about us and our time.
The great majority of the new words relate to social and life patterns; to the life sci-
ences with an emphasis on health, medicine, genetics, and ecology; and to the phys-
ical sciences with an emphasis on computer technology and electronics, physics,
and astronomy.
The goal of the Third Edition is to provide the user with comprehension and
appreciation of the language in a readable manner. Keeping the needs of the con-
temporary user in mind, we have presented the central and often the most fre-
quently sought meaning of a word first. The definitions are worded in concise,
lucid prose without the specialized terms and abbreviations that make most dictio-
naries forbidding and confusing.
The Third Edition contains more than 500 notes and comments on matters of
grammar, diction, pronunciation, and levels and nuances of usage. Citations were
used in identifying new and evolving usage problems, attesting and evaluating the
currency of certain usages, studying various levels of usage, and evaluating their so-
ciolinguistic implications. The 173-member Usage Panel, with 75 new members
and chaired by Geoffrey Nunberg, a linguist associated with Stanford University,
has made an important contribution to the content and direction of the Usage
Notes through responses to periodic surveys developed by the Chair and the editors.
The Usage Panel of the Third Edition consists chiefly of writers, editors, and schol-
ars, 22 of whom are professors of linguistics or English. Other Panelists occupy dis-
tinguished positions in law, diplomacy, government, business, science and
technology, medicine, and the arts. Eighteen are recipients of the Pulitzer Prize and
one is a Nobel Laureate. These men and women, who reside in 28 states across the
land and in Canada and England, are a cross section of today's critical, literary, and
scholarly community.
A list of usage issues—old and new—was prepared by the Chair and the edi-
tors, and from it the usage program for the Third Edition was developed. Some of
the usage issues are entirely new. An example is the Note at world-class. Other issues
discussed in previous editions were resurveyed. An example is the use of contact as
a verb. In some instances the Panel's views are more conservative than in the past:
only 27 percent of the current Panel accepts hopefully as a sentence adverb, a usage
that in 1969 was acceptable to 44 percent of the Panel. Other Notes, such as the one
that discusses the use of above as a noun, present guidance and linguistic analysis
without Panel opinions. The Usage Notes are not confined solely to matters of sty-
listic excellence. Our concern with usage extends to issues of gender, ethnicity, and
sexual preference.
Considerable attention is devoted in this Edition to the history of words. The
etymologies have been thoroughly revised and expanded by a group of 25 specialists
whose work reflects original scholarly research in many fields, including African,
Persian, Turkish, and Native American languages. Special symbols, abbreviations,
and complex technical vocabulary have been avoided in the etymologies. More than
400 word history paragraphs, most of which contain dates of first occurrence of the
words in English, appear at entries with especially interesting etymologies. These
word histories, such as the one at nerd, provide a social, historical, and cultural con-
text for the evolution of words and explain the various linguistic processes that con-
tribute to the development of language.
A great many Modern English words can be traced to the reconstructed ances-
tral language called Proto-Indo-European. The etymologies in the Third Edition,
like those in the First, trace many words to their earliest ascertainable origins, usu-
ally in Proto-Indo-European, by means of cross-references to a new and thorough-
ly revised Appendix of Indo-European Roots. The Appendix, in a major departure
from previous style, gives the root followed by a brief gloss and a list of some of the
Modern English words derived from it. The individual roots entry then follows. For
example, the Modern English words fierce, and treacle, at first glance strange se-
mantic companions, both derive from the root *ghwer-, "wild."
The Third Edition contains hundreds of labeled words and meanings whose
occurrence is restricted to certain areas of the United States. An important new fea-
ture unique to the Third Edition is the inclusion of more than 100 Regional Notes
that explore the various linguistic and historical processes contributing to the de-
velopment of these terms. These processes are apparent in the Regional Notes at en-
tries such as absquatulate.
In an effort to assist the reader in using the language with color, vitality, and
freshness, the Third Edition devotes more attention than ever before to synonymy
by including more than 900 synonym paragraphs. The fully cross-referenced syn-
onym paragraphs are of two kinds. The first, liberally illustrated with quotations,
discriminates shades of meaning. The second kind lists exact synonyms, that is,
words sharing a common irreducible element of meaning, and provides antonyms
when applicable.
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition, like
the First, is the product of significant advances in the use of computer technology.
The Third Edition is derived from a complex, highly versatile structured database.
Every element in the Dictionary was parsed, examined, and coded to reflect its lex-
ical function and position within the base. In combination, these elements form
dictionary entries, and on a broader scale they reflect a multitude of relationships
across the lexicon. Use of the database in connection with electronically generated
citations places the Third Edition a generation ahead of other dictionaries.
It is no longer possible for a few general editors working strictly within a pub-
lishing house to compile a true and accurate record of the language as it is used to-
day. Semantic, etymological, linguistic, and technical complexities inherent in the
language require the counsel of specialists from many disciplines. These specialists'
names are listed under Special Contributors and Consultants. We wish to thank all
of them for helping us in our pursuit of accuracy and truth. Special thanks go to
John Simpson, Co-Editor of the New Oxford English Dictionary, for valuable com-
ments made during the early stages of the project. And to all members of the Edi-
torial Staff who gave unstintingly of their time and expended great effort in the
development of the Third Edition, we express our deepest gratitude.
Anne H. Soukhanov
EDITORIAL AND
PRODUCTION STAFF
EDITORIAL STAFF
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Anne H. Soukhanov
SENIOR LEXICOGRAPHER
David A. Jost
SENIOR COORDINATING EDITOR
Kaethe Ellis
MANAGING EDITOR
Marion Severynse
VICE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL, ART,
PRODUCTION, AND MANUFACTURING SERVICES
Margery S. Berube
PUBLISHER
Jonathan P. Latimer
SENIOR EDITORS
Joseph P. Pickett, David R. Pritchard, David M. Weeks
EDITOR
Joseph M. Patwell
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Jim A. Craig, Donna Cremans, Paul G. Evenson, Susan M. Innes,
Nina Judith Katz, James P. Marciano, Martha Fairman Phelps,
Rosemary E. Previte, Hanna Schonthal
ASSISTANT EDITORS
Michael H. Choi, Ann-Marie Imbornoni, Daniel G. Prior
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Laura P. Chesterton
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANCE
Kenneth C. Carpenter, Jennifer L. Crawford, Beth Jaffe, Craig LaPine, Margaret M.
May, Laurie A. McCrohon, Cara Murray, Rebecca A. Parker,
Heidi Stahl, Alisa Stepanian
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, SYNONOMY
Anne D. Steinhardt
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, PRONUNCIATION
Rima Elkin McKinzey
COORDINATING EDITOR, DICTIONARIES
Pamela Burton DeVinne
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Ihsan A. Al-Shehbaz, Elizabeth J.W. Baer, Ethan Balk, John K. Bollard,
Carol J. Botteron, Guy J. Buckle, Karen Ann Cenci, Mary Lynn Czymbor, Ronald E.
Doel, Leon A. Feldman, Nancy Fliesler, Ian A. Grable,
David S. Greenes, Michael K. Hahn, Kristin Hanson, W.M. Havighurst,
Paul G.K. Jodka, Elizabeth A. Jordan, Victoria M. McClellan,
Ramona R. Michaelis, Sonja N. Nelson, Trudy Nelson, Barry John Perlman, Richard
E. Plotkin, Lois J. Principe, David C. Roberts, Paul R. Schwankl,
James E. Shea, Jeffrey E. Topal, Monica L. Zangwill
CITATIONS CLERK
Shari Lynn Wheeler
COPYEDITING
Frances Barna, Alice P. Carman, Maria A. Morelli
PROOFREADING
Kathryn Blatt, Becky Cheston, Jennifer L. Dougherty, Judith L. Drummond, Valerie
A. English, Bruce E. Frost II, Stella Gelboin, Rhonda L. Holmes, Katherine M.
Isaacs, Eric C. Meyer, Maria Rodriguez Montenegro,
Denis Moynihan, James F. Mulhern, Jill R. Norton, Lori Ohliger,
Thelma Prince, Carole A. Ricciardi, Ann M. Rossi, A. Nancy Rourke
PRODUCTION STAFF
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Christopher Leonesio
PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR
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SENIOR ART AND PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
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DATABASE KEYBOARDING
Miriam E. Palmerola, Supervisor
Lawrence Annucci, Edward Coleman, Cary Hawkins Doran,
Kathleen R. Klingenberg, Sean Brosnahan Meehan, Donna Whiting
MANUFACTURING SUPERVISOR
Greg Mroczek
SENIOR MANUFACTURING ASSISTANT
Jill M. Lazer
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANCE
Christina M. Granados, Lauren B. Hunnewell
DATABASE DEVELOPMENT AND COMPOSITION SERVICES
Auto-Graphics, Inc.
Paul Cope, Vice President, Publishing Operations
Robert Eiferd, Manager of Programming
Kathi Pittman & Laura Stein, Project Managers
STRUCTURED DATABASE DESIGN
Joseph V. Gangemi, Consultant
In Remembrance
Jim A. Craig
1961–1991
Friend, Colleague, and Editor
SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS
AND CONSULTANTS
USAGE
Geoffrey Nunberg, Ph.D.
Stanford University
DIALECT
Sr. Mary Dominic Pitts, O.P, Ph.D.
Aquinas Junior College
INDO-EUROPEAN ROOTS APPENDIX
Calvert Watkins, Ph.D.
Harvard University
LANGUAGE AND ETYMOLOGY CONSULTANTS
Patrick S. Diehl, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
Deborah W. Anderson, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
Martin E. Huld, Ph.D., Department of English, University of California, Los
Angeles
Brian D. Joseph, Ph.D., Department of Linguistics, Ohio State University
Reuven Merkin, Ph.D., Professor, Academy of the Hebrew Language, Jerusalem,
Israel
African Languages
George N. Clements, Ph.D., Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics,
Cornell University
Austronesian Languages
R. David Zorc, Ph.D., Senior Linguist, MRM Language Research Center