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Dictionary Sites    English Language Sites    Etymology Sites    The Hall of Fame

Dictionary sites:

AllWords.com A dictionary, translator, and crossword help are available here, in addition to a book store and much more.
Dictionary of American Regional English Just what it says.

Webster's Dictionary On-line

Enter a word and voila!   Its definition(s) (and limited etymology) appear on your screen.
Middle English Dictionary A truly wonderful thing.
Your Dictionary.com Mr. Beard has links to an extensive selection of multilingual dictionaries, specialized English dictionaries, thesauri, grammars, and "linguistic fun". Quick-loading and nicely arranged.
Pseudodictionary.com Submit your own word fabrications!

English Language Sites:

Alphabets and Writing Systems Here find out about the relationship between various alphabets, syllabaries, etc.  Not strictly an "English language site", but this was the best place to put the link!
Alt.English.usage FAQ This site will keep you amazed for hours.
Engrish (Japanese Engrish) Hilarious!

Old English at the Univ. of Virginia

Cathy Ball's Hwaet! site is no longer on Georgetown's server, but Peter Baker maintains a great site at the University of Virginia.

The Labyrinth On-Line Medieval Library

A fascinating site, with Old English, Middle English, and Anglo-Saxon sections in the library.
Lingo24 Articles and Resources Articles regarding English translation, and resources including tools and career information.

The Middle English Collection at the Electronic Text Center of the University of Virginia

This is a fine site which gives access to on-line Middle English texts.
Name Lab They use what they call constructional linguistics to find appropriate English names for companies.  Check out their Naming page.
Word Safari Ruth Pettis, Word Safari Game Warden, offers a site that takes a playful approach to increasing vocabulary, sending users on expeditions across the Web to see featured words and phrases used in context.  It is a clever idea that is well-executed and sure to give you surfing (and vocabulary-building) enjoyment.

Etymology Sites:

Urban Legends and Folklore at About.com The title really says it all.
BrainEmail.com A blog where the writer discusses trivia, including word origins.  
Zhongwen.com - Chinese Etymologies
Rick Harbaugh's fascinating site, whose title says it all.
Word Origins . org Dave Wilton's impressive etymology site.
Elementymology & Elements Multidictionary Peter van der Krogt's great site, based upon the periodic table of elements, gives the origins of the names of the elements.  Super stuff.
The Phrase Finder This UK site has quite a database of phrases!

Behind the Name

Mike Campbell has a nice site which lists first names (Christian names as they are sometimes known) in alphabetical order and gives the etymology of each.  This was formerly known as The Etymology of First NamesNEW: this site now includes surnames!
A.Word.A.Day (and more) From this link you can access Wordsmith.org, where you'll find A.Word.A.Day (via e-mail), the Internet Anagram server, The Wordserver, and Listat.
WordSmyth English Dictionary-Thesaurus WEDT for short.  It "is a database of relationships between word senses" with an on-line search engine.
A World of Words Professor John Lawler's page for his freshman Etymology class contains an amazing number of language-related links.  Why, there's even a link to the Dakota Language Home Page here!

The Hall of Fame:

Ask Oxford Now they're in on the act!  Don't forget who was here first (in the "ask" department, anyhow)!  (WE were, of course!)

Focusing on Words

Learn more about Latin and Greek roots in English.  This is a subscriber service, but there are still information and teasers available for non-subscribers.
Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett's A Way With Words Martha Barnette, the writer who brought you Ladyfingers and Nun's Tummies, among others, hosts a radio show about words, with lexicographer Grant Barrett.  Ask your NPR station to carry A Way With Words if they don't already!

Richard Lederer's Verbivore Page

This is the web site of Richard Lederer, the king of language laughs and priceless puns (in such books as Anguished English and Get Thee to a Punnery).
The Linguist List What a wondrous site for the glosso- and logophile in you!  It's available in Deutsch, Español, Français, Italiano, Português, to boot.  There are seemingly endless resources here, plus the Ask a Linguist service.  It's not strictly etymology, but it certainly deserves to be in The Hall of Fame.

Michael Qunion's World Wide Words

Michael Quinion has an extensive and most wonderful site.  It should come as no surprise that he's affiliated with the Oxford English Dictionary, among other notable institutions.
The Vocabula Review Read articles from renowned commentators on the English language who are as curmudgeonly as we are!  Full access to the site's articles does require a subscription, but it is darn cheap!  We subscribed and we are as poor as dirt!

The Word Detective

Evan Morris' column, Words, Wit and Wisdom, is now available on the Web.  Mr. Morris is the son of William and Mary Morris (see our bibliography).

Word for Word

This is a page devoted to etymology by Terry O'Connor, who writes a column for a Queensland, Australia newspaper.

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 Last Updated 11/08/09 05:59 PM