NEW PENGUIN DICTIONARY

THE NEW PENGUIN ENGLISH DICTIONARY explores and explains every angle of the world's most widely spoken language. It defines the latest scientific and technical terms, as well as surveying more unusual, literary, or archaic vocabulary. It gives detailed information about correct usage (different from? different than? different to?) and words that are commonly confused with one another (imply and infer, uninterested and disinterested). It contains thousands of illustrative examples, many of them drawn from the works of major literary figures, that serve not only to show how individual words work in context, but also to give a sense of the richness and variety of English. It includes word histories that explain the often tortuous routes by which particular words have developed their meaning over the centuries. And it supplements definitions of key concepts in subject areas as diverse as physics, philosophy, politics, and music with contributions from leading experts in the field - Anthony Grayling on reason, Steven Rose on DNA, Donald Lopez on reincarnation, Catherine Belsey on deconstruction, and David Thomson on film noir. The result is a meticulously researched, superbly versatile dictionary that encompasses the huge range of the language and offers clear guidance to its many complexities.
This new dictionary perfectly embodies Penguin's worldwide reputation for authority and accessibility. Bringing together the skills of Britain's foremost lexicographers and the insights of pre-eminent specialists, it offers unparalleled in-depth coverage of every aspect of the language.
Clear, detailed definitions, with particular
emphasis on difficult concepts and meanings
Includes not only standard English, but also scientific and technical vocabulary, specialist terms, slang, and the English of earlier periods
Defines the latest jargon and buzzwords
Guidance on grammar, correct usage,
spelling, and pronunciation
Examples drawn from the works of major writers, from Shakespeare to Jane Austen to P G Wodehouse to Salman Rushdie
Contributions from leading experts, including Richard Dawkins on evolution, Malcolm Bradbury on modernism, Geoffrey Robertson on freedom, Helena Kennedy on feminism, and Vernon Bogdanor on devolution