THE CENTURY DICTIONARY 
PREPARED UNDER THE SUPERINTENDENCE OF 
WILLIAM DWIGHT WHITNEY, PH. D., LL. D. 
PROFESSOR OF COMPARATIVE PHILOLOGY AND SANSKRIT IN YALE UNIVERSITY 
rE plan of "The Century Dictionary " in- miliar examples are words ending in or or our ical arts and trades, and of the philological 
eludes three things : the construction of a (as labor, labour), in er or re (as center, centre), sciences, an equally broad method has been 
general dictionary of the English language in ize or ise (as civilize, civilise) ; those having a adopted. In the definition of theological and 
which shall be serviceable for every literary single or double consonant after an unaccented ecclesiastical terms, the aim of the Dictionary 
and practical use ; a more complete collection vowel (as traveler, traveller), or spelled with e or has been to present all the special doctrines oi 
of the technical terms of the various sciences, with <c or 03 (as hemorrhage, hccmorrhage) ; and the different divisions of the Church in such a 
arts, trades, and professions than has yet been so on. In such cases both forms are given, manner as to convey to the reader the actual 
attempted ; and the addition to the definitions with an expressed preference for the briefer intent of those who accept them. In defining 
proper of such related encyclopedic matter, one or the one more accordant with native legal terms the design has been to offer all the 
with pictorial illustrations, as shall constitute analogies. information that is needed by the general 
a convenient book of general reference. THE PRONUNCIATION reader, and also to aid the professional reader 
About 200,000 words will be denned. The XT , ., by giving in a concise form all the important 
Dictionary w 11 be a practically complete rec- ^o attempt has been made to record all the to J c g nica t word s and meanings. Special atten- 
ord of all the noteworthy words which have varieties of popular or even educated utter- tion hag also been id to the definitions of 
been in use since English literature has ex- an e ' or . to re P ort the determinations made by the prineipal terms of painting, etching, en- 
isted, especially of all that wealth of new words different recognized authorities. It has been g rav f ng and vari ous other art-processes; of 
and of applications of old words which has necessary rather to make a selection of words architec ture, sculpture, archteology, decorative 
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ENCYCLOPED.C FEATURES. 
prnci-ndcolo q W utl ( word S J andTwUi in- ^-fT* *&****'.. ?* The inclusion of so extensive and varied a 
elude (in the one alphabetical order of the Die- b 7 ^ich the pronunciation is indicated is quite Vocabulai7 the introd uction of special phrases, 
tionary) abbreviations and such foreign words sl ?. le > avoiding over-refinement in the dis- &nd the ft Jj deaeri tion of things oft( foun( J 
and phrases as have become a familiar part of crimination of sounds, and being designed to egsential t an intelligible definition of their 
English speech. ^ readily understood and used, (bee Key to M j h ^ t tw Diction . 
Pronunciation on back cover.) a d \ stillctl encyclopedic character. It has, 
THE ETYMOLOGIES. DEFINITIONS OF COMMON WORDS. however, been deemed desirable to go some- 
The etymologies have been written anew on j n the preparation of the definitions of com- wna * further in this direction than these con- 
a uniform plan, and in accordance with the es- mon wordgi there has been at hand, besides ditions render strictly necessary. 
tablished principles of comparative philology. t he material generally accessible to students Accordingly, not only have many technical 
It has been possible in many cases, by means of t he language, a special collection of quota- matters been treated with unusual fullness, 
of the fresh material at the disposal of the tions selected for this work from English books but much practical information of a kind which 
etymologist, to clear up doubts or difficulties o f a n ijj lu i 8 and of all periods of the language, dictionaries have hitherto excluded has been 
hitherto resting upon the history of particular which is probab iy much larger than any whfch added. The result is that "The Century 
words, to decide definitelyjn favor of one^of has hitherto been made for the use of an English '" 
merous current errors, 
time the history of m 
etymologies were previously unknown or erro- fn the"cTassic*s 'ofThe ianguage/and thousands vidual words and ph 
neously stated. Beginning with the current o f meanings many of them familiar which nected, instead of being collected under a few 
accepted form of spelling, each important word have not hitherto been noticed by the diction- general topics. Proper names, both biograph- 
has been traced back through earlier forms to ar i es have in this wav been obtained. The ical an d geographical, are of course omitted, ex- 
its remotest known origin. The various prefixes arrangement of the definitions historically, in cept as they appear in derivative adjectives, as 
and suffixes useful in the formation of English the order in which the senses defined have en- Darwinian from Darwin, or Indian from India. 
words are treated very fully in separate articles. tere d the language, has been adopted wher- Tne alphabetical distribution of the encyclo- 
ever possible. pedic matter under a large number of words 
HOMONYMS. L-up nnnTATIDKS iriil, it is believed, be found to be particularly 
Words of various origin and meaning but _, . helpful in the search for those details which 
of the same spelling, have been distinguished n< i5* J 01 a verv * ar g e collection (about are generally looked for in works of reference. 
by small superior figures (1, 2, 3, e tS.). In 200,000) representing all periods and 
numbering these homonyms the rule has been Branches of English literature. The classics ILLUSTRATIONS. 
to give precedence to the oldest or the most of the language have been drawn upon, and The pi ctorial illustrations have been so se- 
familiar, or to that one which is most nearly jaluable citations have been made from less i ec ted and executed as to be subordinate to the 
English in origin. The superior numbers ap- famous authors m all departments of litera- text while possessi ng a considerable degree of 
ply not so much to the individual word as to ture. American writers especially are repre- inde ' p endent suggestiveness and artistic value. 
the group or root to which it belongs, hence sen * ed ln .? r . eat . er fullness than in any similar TQ g cure tecn3 Jg a i accuracy, the illustrations 
the different grammatical uses of the same ?T ork : ^ list f . rfh ^ a a , w !2&! l and edl " have, as a rule, been selected by the specialists 
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homonym are numbered alike when they are il V cited will be published with the con- in charge of the various departments, and have 
separately entered in the Dictionary. Thus a eluding part ot the Dictionary. in all cages been exam i ne j by them in proofs. 
verb and a noun of the same origin and the DEFINITIONS OF TECHNICAL TERMS. The cuts number about six thousand. 
same present spelling receive the same superior Much snace has been devoted to the snppial 
number But when two words of the same form ter m 8 ofThe 6 vaA ous sclencesf fine artsfm^ MODE OF ISSUE, PRICE, ETC. 
and of the same radical origin now differ con- chanieal arts pro f e8 sions, aid trades, and " The Century Dictionary " will be comprised 
siderably in meaning, so as to be used as dif- mueh care has been be8tO wed upon their treat- in about 6,500 quarto pages. It is published 
terent words, they are separately numbered. ment- They have been collected by an extended by subscription and in twenty-four parts or 
THE ORTHOGRAPHY search through all branches of literature, with sections, to be finally bound into six quarto vol- 
the design of providing a very complete and umes, if desired by the subscriber. These sec- 
Of the great body of words constituting the many-sided technical dictionary. Many thou- tions will be issued about once a month. The 
familiar language the spelling is determined sands of words have thus been gathered which price of the sections is $2.50 each, and no 
by well-established usage, and, however ao- have never before been recorded in a general subscriptions are taken except for the entire 
cidental and unacceptable, in many cases, it dictionary, or even in special glossaries. To work. 
may be, it is not the office of a dictionary like the biological sciences a degree of promi- The plan for the Dictionary is more fully de- 
this to propose improvements, or to adopt those nenee has been given corresponding to the re- scribed in the preface (of which the above is in 
which have been proposed and have not yet markable recent increase in their vocabulary, part a condensation), which accompanies the 
won some degree of acceptance and use. But The new material in the departments of biology first section, and to which reference is made. 
there are also considerable classes as to which and zoology includes not less than five thou- A list of the abbreviations used in the ety- 
usage is wavering, more than one form being sand words and senses not recorded even in mologies and definitions, and keys to pronuu 
sanctioned by excellent authorities, either in special dictionaries. In the treatment of phy- ciations and to signs used in the etymologies. 
this country or Great Britain, or in both. Fa- sical and mathematical sciences, of the mechan- will be found on the back cover-lining. 
THE CENTURY CO., 33 EAST 17 ST., NEW YORK. 
