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Everyone knows you look a word up in the dictionary to find out what it means, right? Maybe not so much. Good writers and copy editors often consult a dictionary to learn more about words they already know in a general way. We check dictionaries to “verify and clarify,” I say – to double-check the spelling, the proper way to use the word within a sentence (grammar and usage), and subtle shades of meaning (Does odorous have the right connotations, or would we be better off with fragrant? Rescind, recant, or withdraw?) Continue reading “Dictionary Differences: Making Sense of Sense” →

Many copy editors use the latest edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary  as their go-to authority on spellings, definitions, and uses of words. The current edition, the eleventh (2008), does list the word go-to, by the way. But the latest unabridged Webster’s, Webster’s Third New International Dictionary has no entry for go-to. “What,” you say, “in an unabridged dictionary?” Mind you, Webster’s Third International  was published back in 1971 , when go-to was not a documented, known word.

Webster’s Third International also doesn’t list ozone layer and many other new words, terms, or special phrases in English. Email is there – but only as synonym for enamel or a special shade of blue green. Continue reading “Dictionary Differences: Go-To, Go-To-Meeting, and Go-To-Bed-At-Noon” →