The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Third EditionINTRODUCTION
A
lmost 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
ambience
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
E
DITOR
A
SSOCIATE
E
DITORS
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
A
SSISTANT
E
DITORS
E
DITORIAL
A
SSISTANT
A
DMINISTRATIVE
A
SSISTANCE
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
C
ONTRIBUTING
E
DITORS
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
C
ITATIONS
C
LERK
P
ROOFREADING
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
Margaret Anne Miles
Miriam E. Palmerola, Supervisor Lawrence Annucci, Edward Coleman, Cary Hawkins Doran,
Kathleen R. Klingenberg, Sean Brosnahan Meehan, Donna Whiting
MANUFACTURING SUPERVISOR
Greg Mroczek
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
Aquinas Junior College
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
Caribbean Languages Richard Allsopp, Ph.D., Caribbean Lexicography Project, University of the West
Indies at Cave Hill, Barbados
Celtic Languages Lionel S. Joseph, Ph.D., Harvard University
Central and South American Languages Richard F. Townsend, Ph.D., Department of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, Art
Institute of Chicago Hipólito Rafael Chacón, M.A., Department of Art History, University of Chicago
Dialect Craig M. Carver, Ph.D., Dictionary of Regional American English
East Asian Languages Stephen A. Bladey Thomas Creamer, M.A.
English Language and Linguistics G.W. Abernethy, Middle English Dictionary Sara E. Kimball, Ph.D., Department of English, University of Texas at Austin Henry Kucera, Ph.D., Department of Linguistics, Brown University Marilyn S. Miller, M.S.L., Middle English Dictionary Robert N. Mory, Ph.D., Middle English Dictionary Lee Pederson, Ph.D., Department of English, Emory University David W. Ruddy, M.A., University of Michigan David M. Yerkes, Ph.D., Professor of English, Department of English, Columbia
University
Greek and Latin Vincent P. McCarren, Ph.D., Middle English Dictionary Rex E. Wallace, Ph.D., Classics Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst Roger D. Woodard, Ph.D., Classics Department, University of Southern California
North American Indian Languages Ives Goddard, Ph.D., Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian Institution
Russian, Persian, and Ural-Altaic Languages Alexander Lehrman, Ph.D., Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures,
University of Delaware
Science Etymology Sharon L. Marshall, Ph.D., M.D., Harvard and Tufts Universities
Yiddish Marvin I. Herzog, Ph.D., Department of Linguistics, Columbia University
SPECIAL CONSULTANTS
Architecture, University of Virginia
Art H. Kristina Haugland, M.A., Assistant Curator, Costume and Textiles, Philadelphia
Museum of Art
Cinema P. Adams Sitney, Ph.D., Professor of Visual Arts in the Council of the Humanities,
Princeton University
Dance Mara Peets, M.A., Teaching Fellow, Expository Writing Program, New York
University; Writer/Researcher and Assistant Director, Video Dictionary of Classical Ballet
Economics, Business, and Finance David L. Scott, Ph.D., Professor of Accounting and Finance, Valdosta State College,
Valdosta, Georgia
History and Government John A. Garraty, Ph.D., Gouverneur Morris Professor Emeritus, Department of
History, Columbia University
Law Robert M. Landis, J.D., LL.D., Partner and formerly Chair, Dechert Price & Rhoads
Meteorology David B. Johnson, Ph.D., National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder,
Colorado
Military Science & Weapons Daniel P. Bolger, Ph.D., U.S. Army Infantry Officer
Music Mary Davenport, Professor of Music, School for the Arts, Boston University
Mythology William S. Bonds, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Classical
Languages, University of the South
Philosophy Hilary Kornblith, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Philosophy,
University of Vermont
Religion William A. Graham, Ph.D., Professor of the History of Religion and Islamic Studies,
Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University Van A. Harvey, Ph.D., George Edwin Burnell Professor of Religious Studies,
Department of Religious Studies, Stanford University Martin E. Marty, Ph.D., Fairfax M. Cone Distinguished Professor of the History of
Modern Christianity, Divinity School, University of Chicago Richard P. McBrien, S.T.D., Crowley-O'Brien-Walter Professor of Theology,
Department of Theology, University of Notre Dame Paul Mendes-Flohr, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Jewish Thought, Hebrew
University, Jerusalem, Israel Frank E. Reynolds, Ph.D., Professor of the History of Religions and Buddhist
Studies, Divinity School and Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations, University of Chicago
Jack D. Van Horn, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Religion, College of William and Mary
Science and Technology Donald C.S. Allison, Ph.D., Professor and Head, Department of Computer Science,
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University William Ira Bennett, M.D., Editor, Harvard Health Letter, Harvard Medical School Sheila Ewing Browne, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry and Chair, Department of
Chemistry, Mount Holyoke College Neal D. Buffaloe, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Biology, University of Central
Arkansas F.J. Collier, Curatorial Associate, Department of Invertebrate Paleobiology,
Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University Brooks B. Ellwood, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Geology, University of Texas at
Arlington R.J. Emry, Ph.D., Research Paleontologist and Curator, Division of Vertebrate
Paleontology, Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Frank Espey, M.D., Neurological Surgery (retired), Greenville, South Carolina William S. Haubrich, M.D., Head, Division of Gastroenterology, Scripps Clinical
Research Foundation Nicholas Hotton III, Ph.D., Curator, Division of Vertebrate Paleontology,
Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Lynn Margulis, Ph.D., Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
J.W. Pierce, Ph.D., Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
C.E. Ray, Curator, Division of Vertebrate Paleontology, Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Richard Evans Schultes, Ph.D., Jeffrey Professor of Biology and Director, Harvard Botanical Museum (Emeritus)
James Trefil, Ph.D., Clarence J. Robinson Professor of Physics, George Mason University
Sociology Mary Waters, Ph.D., John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Social Sciences,
Harvard University
Trademarks Ted J. Murphy, International and Information Services Manager, U.S. Trademark
Association
Edwin Newman Chair Emeritus Journalist; lecturer; author
Elie Abel Author and journalist; Professor Emeritus, Stanford University Shana Alexander Writer Cleveland Amory Humorist; humanitarian; President, The Fund for
Animals Roger Angell Writer and Fiction Editor, New Yorker Natalie Angier Science journalist; recipient, Pulitzer Prize Isaac Asimov* Writer; Professor of Biochemistry, Boston University School
of Medicine James Atlas Writer; Editor, New York Times Magazine Margaret Atwood Writer Kathryn H. Au Professor of Education, University of Hawaii Louis Auchincloss Writer Ralph Backlund* Senior Contributing Editor, Smithsonian; formerly
Producer and Executive Producer for news and public affairs, CBS; formerly Associate Editor and Managing Editor, Horizon
John Bainbridge* Staff writer, New Yorker; columnist, Gourmet Sheridan Baker Professor Emeritus of English, University of Michigan Letitia Baldrige Author; lecturer on manners Jacques Barzun Writer; literary consultant; educator John Baugh Professor of Linguistics, Stanford University Carolyn Wilkerson Bell Susan Duval Adams Professor of English,
Randolph-Macon Woman's College Daniel Bell Henry Ford II Professor of Social Sciences Emeritus, Harvard
University; Scholar in Residence, American Academy of Arts and Sciences Pierre Berton Canadian author and historian Alton Blakeslee Science Editor (retired), Associated Press
Harold Bloom Writer; Sterling Professor of Humanities, Yale University; Berg Professor of English, New York University; MacArthur Fellow
Roy Blount, Jr. Writer; Contributing Editor, Atlantic Kallia H. Bokser Housing Consultant Dwight Bolinger* Professor Emeritus of Romance Languages and
Literatures, Harvard University; Visiting Professor Emeritus of Linguistics, Stanford University
The Hon. Julian Bond Formerly Georgia state legislator; Professor, American University and University of Virginia; lecturer; host, public affairs television program
The Hon. Daniel J. Boorstin Librarian of Congress Emeritus; recipient, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters
Charles P. Boren Associate Editor (retired), Lewiston (Idaho) Morning Tribune
Barbara Taylor Bradford Writer The Hon. William W. Bradley U.S. Senator from New Jersey; formerly
professional basketball player Leo Braudy Bing Professor of English, University of Southern California Paul Brooks Writer; formerly Editor in Chief, Houghton Mifflin Company Heywood Hale Broun Writer; actor; television newsperson Rachel M. Brownstein Professor of English, Brooklyn College and the
Graduate Center, City University of New York William F. Buckley, Jr. President, National Review Inc. Gabrielle Burton Writer Gerald Carson* Social historian; writer; advertising agency executive Claudia Cassidy Writer; formerly music and drama critic, Chicago Tribune;
formerly critic at large, Chicago magazine Walter C. Clemens, Jr. Writer; Professor of Political Science, Boston
University; Associate, Harvard University Center for Science and International Affairs
Pat Conroy Novelist Claire Kehrwald Cook Formerly Editorial Director, Modern Language
Association of America; author, Line by Line: How to Edit Your Own Writing Robin Cook, M.D. Physician; writer Alistair Cooke Journalist and broadcaster Roy H. Copperud* Professor Emeritus of Journalism, University of
Southern California; columnist, Editor & Publisher; author of works on English usage; recipient, Humanities Award, Association of American Publishers
Norman Cousins* Adjunct Professor, School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles; writer; formerly Editor, Saturday Review; formerly Chair, Pulitzer Prize jury in literature
Malcolm Cowley* Writer; literary adviser, Viking Press, Inc.; formerly Associate Editor, New Republic
Robert W. Creamer Writer; biographer; formerly Senior Editor, Sports Illustrated
Gene D. Dahmen Attorney; past President, Boston Bar Association Marshall B. Davidson* Writer; Senior Editor, Horizon; formerly Editor of
Publications, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Robertson Davies* Writer; founding Master, Massey College, University of
Toronto; Professor of English and Drama Lois DeBakey Writer, lecturer, and consultant; Professor of Scientific
Communication, Baylor College of Medicine Vine Deloria, Jr. Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Professor of Law, Religious
Studies, Political Science, and History, University of Colorado Joan Didion Author Annie Dillard Writer; recipient, Pulitzer Prize William K. Durr Professor of Education Emeritus, Michigan State University;
past President, International Reading Association Andrea Dworkin Writer Freeman J. Dyson Writer; Professor of Physics, Institute for Advanced
Study, Princeton, New Jersey Anne Edwards Biographer and novelist; past President, Authors Guild Gretel Ehrlich Writer; Guggenheim Fellow from Wyoming Ralph Ellison* Writer; educator Louise Erdrich Author Carolly Erickson Historian; writer Howard Fast Writer Frances FitzGerald Writer; contributor, New Yorker; recipient, Pulitzer Prize Elizabeth Frank Writer; Joseph E. Harry Professor of Modern Languages and
Literature, Bard College; recipient, Pulitzer Prize Reuven Frank Author; columnist, New Leader magazine; formerly President,
NBC News;…