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Learn what the dictionary tells you about words.
Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you enter them into the search window. If a compound term doesn’t appear in the drop-down list, try entering the term into the search window and then hit the search button (instead of the “enter” key). Alternatively, begin searches for compound terms with a quotation mark.
THE USAGE PANEL
The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. The Panelists are surveyed annually to gauge the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.
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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:
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.
OPEN DICTIONARY PROJECT
Share your ideas for new words and new meanings of old words!
n. A skilled worker who makes, finishes, and repairs wooden objects and structures. v. car·pen·tered, car·pen·ter·ing, car·pen·ters v.tr. To make, finish, or repair (wooden structures). v.intr. To work as a carpenter. [Middle English, from Anglo-Norman, from Latin carpentārius (artifex), (maker) of a carriage, from carpentum, a two-wheeled carriage, of Celtic origin; see kers- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2017 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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The American Heritage Desk Dictionary + Thesaurus
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