HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.

Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.

guide to the dictionary

log¹

(lôg, lŏg)

a. A usually large section of a trunk or limb of a fallen or felled tree.

b. A long thick section of trimmed, unhewn timber.

2. Nautical

a. A device trailed from a ship to determine its speed through the water.

b. A record of a ship's speed, its progress, and any shipboard events of navigational importance.

c. The book in which this record is kept.

3. A record of a vehicle's performance, as the flight record of an aircraft.

4. A record, as of the performance of a machine or the progress of an undertaking: a computer log; a trip log.

v. logged, log·ging, logs

v.tr.

a. To cut down, trim, and haul the timber of (a piece of land).

b. To cut (timber) into unhewn sections.

2. To enter in a record, as of a ship or an aircraft.

3. To travel (a specified distance, time, or speed): logged 30,000 air miles in April.

4. To spend or accumulate (time): had logged 25 years with the company.

v.intr.

To cut down, trim, and haul timber.

Phrasal Verbs:

log in (or on)

To enter into a computer the information required to begin a session.

log out (or off)

To enter into a computer the command to end a session.

[Middle English logge.]

log²

(lôg, lŏg)

A logarithm.

-log

suff.

Variant of -logue.

log-

pref.

Variant of logo-.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

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:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

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.

American Heritage Dictionary Products

HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

THE USAGE PANEL

AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG

INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

American Heritage Dictionary Products