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encyclopedia definition

en·cy·clo·pedia or encyclopaedia en·cy′·clo·pae′·dia (en sī′klə pē′dē ə, in-)

noun

  1. a book or set of books giving information on all or many branches of knowledge, generally in articles alphabetically arranged
  2. a similar work giving information in a particular field of knowledge an encyclopedia of philosophy

Etymology: ModL (1508) encyclopaedia < Gr enkyklopaideia, false reading for enkyklios paideia, instruction in the circle of the arts and sciences < enkyklios (en-, in + kyklos, a circle: see cycle) in a circle, general + paideia, education < paideuein, to educate, bring up a child < pais (gen. paidos), child: see pedo-

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

encyclopedia Synonyms

encyclopedia

n.

book of facts, reference book, book of knowledge, almanac, yearbook, compilation, concordance, general reference work, cyclopedia; see also reference 3.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

encyclopedia Usage Examples

Preposition: that

  • anyone: It bills itself as ' the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit ' .

Converse of object

  • illustrate: Key... £ 49.00 Qty World Religions CD-ROM An illustrated encyclopedia with some useful images.

Adjective modifier

  • free: Play free sudoku online at Yahoo... the free encyclopedia.

Modifies a noun

  • ..: Daily Express - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia...

Noun used with modifier

  • wikipedia: Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article.

Preposition: of

  • philosophy: General Editor of the 10- volume Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, now the leading encyclopedia of philosophy in English.
encyclopedia usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

encyclopedia quotes

In everything that relates to science, I am a whole Encyclopedia behind the rest of the world.

-Lamb, Charles

encyclopedia quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"encyclopedia." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/encyclopedia>

APA Style

encyclopedia. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/encyclopedia

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