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How do I...?

Find a Dictionary

• Find an English language dictionary
• Find a foreign language dictionary
• Find an online dictionary or thesaurus

Find an English language dictionary

To find the location and call number of dictionaries in the Libraries, you can go to the Chinook library catalog, choose the "LC Subject Heading" search option, and then type in the language you want followed by the terms "language dictionaries." If you know the name of the dictionary you are looking for, you can do a title or keyword search on its name.

Many frequently used dictionaries are located in the Reference Stacks in Norlin Library in the following call number sequence:

Find a foreign language dictionary

The Libraries own an extensive collection of foreign language dictionaries, including directories in the languages of other countries and bilingual dictionaries. Many of them are located in the Reference Stacks in Norlin Library. A call number chart similar to the one below is located on the end of Reference Stacks Row 6.

Find an online dictionary or thesaurus

• CU Oxford English Dictionary
• Alternative Dictionaries - words and expressions you most likely won't find in a normal dictionary including slang, insults, racial slurs, and terms for bodily functions and sexual acts
• American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language - by Bartleby.com
• Cambridge Dictionaries Online - by Cambridge University Press
• Dictionary.com- includes translation dictionaries, grammar help, thesaurus, writing guides, word of the day and more
• OneLook Dictionaries - complete dictionary and glossary list
• Roget's Thesauri - by Bartleby.com
• Webster's Hypertext Dictionary - access to various dictionary services.
• yourDictionary.com - portal for language and language-related products and services on the web with more than 1800 dictionaries with more than 250 languages

CU = Resources marked with this symbol are available in campus libraries and to students, staff, and faculty via the campus network. Use of these resources is subject to copyright laws and license limitations. Remote access information.