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The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.
A Chinese dynasty (960-1279). Its rule was marked by economic prosperity, technological innovation, and a flourishing of art and culture.
[MandarinSòng, named by its founder Zhao Kuangyin afterSòng, the medieval prefecture where the title of emperor was conferred upon him and where his army was located at the time (roughly the region around modern Shangqiu in Henan province), fromMiddle Chinesesəwŋ`.]
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.