PREFACE. 
xv 
purely theological definitions, others, very numerous and elaborate, have been given of terms desig- 
nating vestments, ornaments, rites, and ceremonies, of words relating to church architecture, church 
music, etc., etc. Systems of religion other than the Christian, as Mohammedanism, Confucianism, 
etc., are treated with considerable detail, as are also the more simple and barbarous forms of religious 
thought, and the many related topics of anthropology. Church history is given under the names 
of the various sects, etc. Assistance in matters relating to liturgies, and particularly to the ritual of 
the Greek Church, has been received from Mi-. Leighton Hoskins. 
In defining legal terms, the design has been to offer all the information that is needed by the 
general reader, and also to aid the professional reader by giving, in a concise form, all the important 
technical words and meanings. Professional terms now in common use have been defined in their 
general and accepted sense as used to-day in the highest courts and legislative bodies, not excluding, 
however, the different senses or modes of use prevalent at an earlier day. Particular attention has 
also been given to the definitions of common words which are not technically used in law, but upon 
the definition of which as given in the dictionaries matters of practical importance often depend. 
Statutory definitions, as for example of crimes, are not as a rule given, since they vary greatly in 
detail in the statutes of the different States, and are fuh 1 of inconsistencies. Definitions are also given 
of all established technical phrases which cannot be completely understood from the definitions of 
their separate words, and of words and phrases from the Latin and from modern foreign languages 
(especially of Mexican and French-Canadian law) which have become established as parts of our 
technical speech, or are frequently used without explanation in English books. The definitions have 
been written by Mr. Austin Abbott. 
The definitions of the principal terms of painting, etching, and engraving, and of various other 
art-processes, were prepared by Mr. Charles C. Perkins some time before his death. They have 
been supplemented by the work of Mr. Thomas W. Ludlow, who has also had special charge of 
architecture, sculpture, and Greek and Roman archaeology; and of Mr. Russell Sturgis, 
who has furnished the material relating to decorative art in general, ceramics, medieval 
archaeology, heraldry, armor, costumes, furniture, etc., etc. Special aid has also been received from 
many architects, artists, and others. The musical terms have been defined by Prof. Waldo S. Pratt, 
who has had the use of a large collection of such definitions made by Mr. W. M. Ferriss. Many 
definitions of names of coins have been contributed by Mr. Warwick Wroth, F. S. A., of the Depart- 
ment of Coins of the British Museum. 
A very full list of nautical terms and definitions has been contributed by Commander Francis M. 
Green, and of military terms by Captain David A. Lyle. 
The inclusion of so extensive and varied a vocabulary, the introduction of special phrases, and 
the full description of things often found essential to an intelligible definition of their names, would 
alone have given to this dictionary a distinctly encyclopedic character. It has, however, been deemed 
desirable to go somewhat further in this direction than these conditions render strictly 
necessary. Accordingly, not only have many technical matters been treated with unusual 
fullness, but much practical information of a kind which dictionaries have hitherto 
excluded has been added. The result is that THE CENTUKY DICTIONARY covers to a great extent the 
field of the ordinary encyclopedia, with this principal difference that the information given is for 
the most part distributed under the individual words and phrases with which it is connected, instead 
of being collected under a few general topics. Proper names, both biographical and geographical, are 
of course omitted except as they appear in derivative adjectives, as Darwinian from Danvin, or Indian 
from India. The alphabetical distribution of the encyclopedic matter under a large number of words 
will, it is believed, be found to be particularly helpful in the search for those details which are 
generally looked for in works of reference; while the inevitable discontinuity of treatment which such 
a method entails has been reduced to a minimum by a somewhat extended explanation of central words 
