encyclopedia
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From New Latin encyclopēdīa (“general education”), variant of encyclopaedīa, a univerbated form of Koine Greek ἐγκύκλιος παιδείᾱ (enkúklios paideíā, “education in the circle of arts and sciences”), from Ancient Greek ἐγκύκλιος (enkúklios, “circular”) + παιδείᾱ (paideíā, “childrearing; education”), q.v. Nearly all modern English use of the word influenced by the scope and format of Diderot & al.'s French Encyclopédie.
Pronunciation edit
- (Canada) IPA(key): /ənˌsəɪ.kləˈpi.di.ə/
- (UK) IPA(key): /ɪnˌsaɪ.kləˈpi(ː).dɪə/
- (US) IPA(key): /ɪnˌsaɪ.kləˈpi(ː).di.ə/
Audio (US): (file) - Rhymes: -iːdiə
- Hyphenation: en‧cy‧clo‧pe‧di‧a
Noun edit
encyclopedia (plural encyclopedias or encyclopediae or encyclopediæ)
- A comprehensive reference work (often spanning several printed volumes) with articles (usually arranged in alphabetical order, or sometimes arranged by category) on a range of subjects, sometimes general, sometimes limited to a particular field.
- I only use the library for the encyclopedia, as we’ve got most other books here.
- His life's work is a four-volume encyclopedia of aviation topics.
- Similarly comprehensive works in other formats.
- Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia anyone can edit.[citation needed]
- (dated) The circle of arts and sciences; a comprehensive summary of knowledge, or of a branch of knowledge.
Usage notes edit
The spelling encyclopedia is standard in American English, common in Canadian English, accepted in Australian and International English, and also very common in British English although nonstandard.
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Translations edit
comprehensive reference with articles on a range of topics
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See also edit
Further reading edit
- encyclopedia on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- “encyclopedia”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
Categories:
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *peh₂w-
- English terms borrowed from New Latin
- English terms derived from New Latin
- English terms derived from Koine Greek
- English terms derived from Ancient Greek
- English terms derived from French
- English 7-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English 5-syllable words
- English 6-syllable words
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/iːdiə
- Rhymes:English/iːdiə/6 syllables
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English nouns with irregular plurals
- English terms with usage examples
- English dated terms
- en:Reference works