Databases by Subject -- Encyclopedia & Dictionaries

Use the following databases to find articles in scholarly journals, magazines, conferences, etc.

Oxford English Dictionary (Full-Text)
The Oxford English Dictionary is the world's leading authority on the history and development of the English language. It allows users to find the meanings of words that are used today and those words that are no longer in use. Entries provide pronunciation, origin of words, variant spellings, and quotations from various sources.

Oxford Reference (Full-Text)
Over 120 language and subject dictionaries and reference books covering many topics including literature, arts, humanities, science, business, quotations, etc. Also, provides access to all the Oxford Companions series.

Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL) (Full-Text)
Current
Find full-text encyclopedia articles - and graphics when available - from the following multi-volume reference e-books: Beacham's Guide to the Endangered Species of North America (1st Edition), Biology (1st Edition), Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine (1st Edition), Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer (1st Edition), Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders (1st Edition), Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine (2nd Edition), Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America (2nd Edition), Encyclopedia of Small Business (2nd Edition), Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History, St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, and World of Earth Science (1st Edition).

Encyclopedia Americana. (30 vols.)
Danbury, Conn.: Grolier, 2000.
Reference Room (3rd Floor) - [Ref] AE5 .E333 2000

New Encyclopedia Britannica. (32 vols.)
Chicago: Britannica, 2002.
Reference Room (3rd Floor) - [Ref] AE5 .E363 2002

Firefly Visual Dictionary. (2nd ed.)
Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books, 2002.
Reference Room (3rd Floor) - [Ref] AG250 .C67 2002

Oxford English Dictionary. (2nd ed.) (20 vols.)
Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989.
Reference Room (3rd Floor) - [Ref] PE1625 .O87 1989

Dictionary of American Regional English. (3 vols.)
Cambridge, Mass. : Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1985.
Reference Room (3rd Floor) - [Ref] PE2843 .D52

Dictionary of Slang. (8th ed.)
New York : Routledge, 2002.
Reference Room (3rd Floor) - [Ref] PE3721 .P3 2002

Etymological Dictionary of the English Language.
New York : Oxford Univ. Press, 1989.
Reference Room (3rd Floor) - [Ref] PE1580 .S5 1989

Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology.
New York : Oxford Univ. Pr., 1985
Reference Room (3rd Floor) - [Ref] PE1580 .O9 1985

Britannica Online

Wikipedia

Your Dictionary.com

Nolo Legal Dictionary