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

cau·cus

(kôkəs)

n. pl. cau·cus·es or cau·cus·ses

a. A meeting of the local members of a political party especially to select delegates to a convention or register preferences for candidates running for office.

b. A closed meeting of party members within a legislative body to decide on questions of policy or leadership.

c. A group within a legislative or decision-making body seeking to represent a specific interest or influence a particular area of policy: a minority caucus.

2. Chiefly British A committee within a political party charged with determining policy.

v. cau·cused, cau·cus·ing, cau·cus·es or cau·cussed or cau·cus·sing or cau·cus·ses

v.intr.

To assemble in or hold a caucus.

v.tr.

To assemble or canvass (members of a caucus).

[After the Caucus Club of Boston, an influential Colonial political organization around the time of the American Revolution , perhaps from Medieval Latin caucus, drinking vessel, variant of Latin caucum; akin to Greek kaukos (both Greek and Latin being borrowed from the same unknown source).]

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