The Reader's Digest Pocket Dictionary Of Current English [antikvár]

PREFACE This work was originally based on the Pocket Oxford Dictionary edited by F. G. and H. W. Fowler and, like it. rests ultimately upon the authority of the great Oxford Dictionary (1884-1928) edited by J. A. H. Murray. Henry Bradley, W. A. Craigie. and C. T. Onions. The choice of words was in the main that of the Pocket Oxford Dictionary, but new words and phrases, whose place and dignity in the language were less assured, were admitted rather more freely. Such elements of the vocabulary have, in the course of nearly forty years of revision, come to occupy a greater proportion of the available space; those years have seen an immense expansion in science and technology, and increased interest in and knowledge of these advances have been fostered by the growing number, rapidity, and frequency of means of communication. In a work of such small dimensions as the Little Oxford Dictionary, the inclusion of the largest possible number of words has meant the adoption of various devices to save space. When, for example, the meaning of derivatives is sufficiently clear from the definition of the main word, the definition of the derivatives is omitted; and obvious derivatives (e.g. happily, sharpness) are usually excluded. Generally words are given in their alphabetical order; but for brevity compounds and derivatives are often grouped under the main word. In order to save space, the tilde ¦— may be substituted in compounds and derivatives for the main word or some part of it; e.g. under hook, —up = hook-up, —er = hooker. It should be noted that where ~ stands for less than the whole of the main word, the last letter or letters common to the word and the derivative are repeated after the tilde, e.g. under petulant, ~ance = petulance. Pronunciation and stress may be assumed to be unchanged unless a change is indicated; e.g. admiss'ible, ~bil'icy ; enu'merate, ~a'tion, ~ative. Foreign Words and Phrases are entered among English words in their alphabetical order, those which are not yet fully naturalized in English being printed in italic type. P. This dictionary includes some words which are or are asserted to be proprietary names or trade marks. Their inclusion does not imply that they have acquired for legal purposes a non-proprietary or general significance, or any other judgement concerning their legal status. In cases where the editor has some evidence that a word is used as a proprietary name or trade mark this is indicated by the symbol P, but no judgement concerning the legal status of such words is implied thereby. PRONUNCIATION 1. Accent. The accentuation mark ' is usually placed at the end of the stressed syllable. 2. Phonetic System. Where the pronunciation of a word or part of a word cannot be shown by the ordinary spelling and markings, a phonetic spelling is given in round brackets immediately after the black-type word. The phonetic scheme is as follows: