Webster's Third New International Dictionary

Un dizionario della lingua inglese di grande portata! L’unica cosa è che si deve consultare seduto in scrivania, perché è pesante circa 6 kg è lunga 35 cm.! Però ne vale la pena perché è il massimo in commercio della lingua inglese, “ultimate”!

I am pleased with the W3. But let me get to its disadvantages first. If you're used to reading without glasses, its small font will task your eyes (see photo for comparison). The typeface of the smaller M-W paperback dictionary, though also tiny, is bolder hence more legible. I understand why for some folks this is more than just a passing irritation. I use reading glasses so I can manage. At almost 6 kg it looks like it can crush a small animal. If you want a dictionary that you can easily grab and quickly find a word in, especially new words, the W3 is not the one you should buy, but something like the M-W Collegiate Dictionary 11th Edition, or its paperback version. It's not as up-to-date as it should be. I knew this beforehand, so it's not a deal breaker. Here’s what I love about it. This issue bears all the signs of a premium, brand new book: decent binding, good paper, neat, and presentable. The board covers are wrapped in blue leather-like material for durability. It's printed in November 2023, in India, practically hot off the press. It was shipped in its thin advertising box that you can keep. I have a few dictionaries now, primarily because I'm fond of them: unabridged, college editions, hardcovers, and handy paperbacks. All of them are great for their purpose. Where the W3 excels is its brilliant coverage of English in the early 20th century, and in its in-depth definitions. This is particularly useful to me since English is my second language. For instance, I often hear politicians contending and one of them will say that his rival’s attacks are just politics. My abridged dictionaries will define politics as having to do with governance; also maneuvering and scheming. But the W3 will go on to give the meaning that clarifies the context for me. Politics 4 a (1): political affairs or business; specifically: competition between competing interest groups or individuals for power and leadership.. c: political activities characterized by artful often dishonest practices especially in securing success of political parties or candidates. For U$80 new at amazon, who also covers the shipping cost, I think the W3 is a good value. I sprayed specks of acrylic paint on its sides since I sometimes notice those super tiny bugs being attracted to books with plain white edges but seem to avoid speckled or painted edges. M-W has an online subscription of the Unabridged, which they regularly update. It's nice. But it lacks the full page illustrations, lists, tables, and those quaint drawings that makes the book an endearing tome. Bottom line, the W3 is still a useful dictionary for everyone, not just language enthusiasts. With the accretion of vocabulary from the 1960s to 2024 a fully updated Unabridged would be a beast of a book that won't likely see the light of day. The W3 may be the last of its kind. I'm glad to have it.

Excellent dictionary!!!

個人的には、アメリカの辞書としては、この3rd Websterと、American Heritageと、 あとコーパス辞書としてNew Oxford American Dictionaryがあれば 完璧かと思います。 かつての製品と違って、いまはCD-ROMはついていません。 ONLINEの1年無料使用権がついてます。 まあもちろん、このデカい辞書は取り回しという意味では難物なのですが、 これが家にあるということが、喜びなのではないかと。 というか、他の人がどう考えるかはともかく、そういう価値観の中で生きていたいです。

Much has already been written about this landmark dictionary. It created ripples across the academic world due to its sheer size and the controversy created on account of the tenacity of breaking the mold of prescriptive usage. The result is this largest single volume monolingual English dictionary available today that has one of the clearest and self-contained definitions, which are a pure pleasure to read. The illustrations littered in every page draw the browser's attention to rarities and tickle further interest towards exploration. For those who are curious to know more about this edition, it's a reprint of the 2002 edition, printed in November 2021 in India; I'm sure Indian reprints will continue, by and by, based on the demand. The principal edition was published in 1961. Since then further revisions were made to the addenda section by incorporating newer words that became prominent in the English language since originally published. The current edition contains 89 pages in the addenda and it's unlikely to change. The dictionary also comes with a one year free subscription to the online version of this unabridged dictionary as well as that of the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Collegiate Thesaurus and and Medical Dictionary. Possessing this dictionary gives the feeling of holding an institution within one's reach. I have it next to my study table at all times (not to mention that you cannot move this tome easily if you kept it tucked away in the corner of a bookshelf; it deserves to be looked up with TLC).