The Little Dictionary Of Big Words You Should Know

​What is a bumbershoot? Or a moonbow? And what does it mean when someone absquatulates...? Find out all this and more in The Dictionary of Difficult Words. Test your knowledge with more than 400 words to amaze, confuse, and inspire budding wordsmiths (and adults). All of the words featured in this book are difficult to spell, hard to say, and their meanings are obscure to most children (and most adults)! Written with simple, easy-to-understand definitions by lexicographer Jane Solomon, this dictionary celebrates the beauty of the English language for family trivia time spent around the printed page.

Do you know what "quatrefoil" and "impolitic" mean? What about "halcyon" or "narcolepsy"? This book is a handy, easy-to-read reference guide to the proper parlance for any situation. In this book you will find: Words You Absolutely Should Know (covert, exonerate, perimeter); Words You Should Know But Probably Don't (dour, incendiary, scintilla); Words Most People Don't Know (schlimazel, thaumaturgy, epergne); Words You Should Know to Sound Overeducated (ad infinitum, nugatory, garrulity); Words You Probably Shouldn't Know (priapic, damnatory, labia majora); and more. Whether writing an essay, studying for a test, or trying to impress friends, family, and fellow cocktail party guests with their prolixity, you will achieve magniloquence, ebullience, and flights of rhetorical brilliance.

Broken down by category, this comprehensive reference is the go-to guide for readers and writers who want to expand their knowledge of language. This unique reference book strives to define words and phrases that the average person often encounters but which may not be immediately familiar. Batten, kiosk, proctor, coup de grace, alliteration, parsec, corona, renal, joystick, decant, citadel. Broken down into over fifty categories—from cultural essentials like art, history, and sports to modern obsessions like text messaging and hip hop slang—this book is a word lover's dream and a useful handbook for any student. It covers theatre. It even has a section of foreign words commonly used in English. Expand your vocabulary. Improve your writing. Broaden your horizons!

Bob's Dictionary of Big Words (BDBW) is a new concept in dictionaries. Rather than carrying around bulky dictionaries that often contain pages of definitions for simple words that everyone already knows, BDBW uses only bigger words that most people either don't know or have heard many times but don't remember the definition. BDBW limits its words to 6000 on an easy to manage 6 x 9 frame. It uses only the most practical and interesting words that will impress not only yourself but those to whom you communicate. BDBW gives the Latin, Greek or other derivation of the word for easier memorization of the definition. Accents are made with an underline on the correct syllable. Students and professionals will find BDBW very useful, but it is designed for anyone who wants to rise to the next level of English communication and conversation. There is nothing like it on the market.

"Features more than 10,000 entries that focus exclusively on words that, while outside most people's working vocabulary, are often encountered in literature, in technical writings such as computing or medical terminology, and in such diverse subject areas as law, philosophy, and art. Special attention is given to easily confused or closely related words. Usage notes are provided to ensure that readers know how to integrate these words into their vocabularies for more precision and power in speech and writing."--Back cover.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “It’s undeniably thrilling to find words for our strangest feelings…Koenig casts light into lonely corners of human experience…An enchanting book. “ —The Washington Post A truly original book in every sense of the word, The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows poetically defines emotions that we all feel but don’t have the words to express—until now. Have you ever wondered about the lives of each person you pass on the street, realizing that everyone is the main character in their own story, each living a life as vivid and complex as your own? That feeling has a name: “sonder.” Or maybe you’ve watched a thunderstorm roll in and felt a primal hunger for disaster, hoping it would shake up your life. That’s called “lachesism.” Or you were looking through old photos and felt a pang of nostalgia for a time you’ve never actually experienced. That’s “anemoia.” If you’ve never heard of these terms before, that’s because they didn’t exist until John Koenig set out to fill the gaps in our language of emotion. The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows “creates beautiful new words that we need but do not yet have,” says John Green, bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars. By turns poignant, relatable, and mind-bending, the definitions include whimsical etymologies drawn from languages around the world, interspersed with otherworldly collages and lyrical essays that explore forgotten corners of the human condition—from “astrophe,” the longing to explore beyond the planet Earth, to “zenosyne,” the sense that time keeps getting faster. The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows is for anyone who enjoys a shift in perspective, pondering the ineffable feelings that make up our lives. With a gorgeous package and beautiful illustrations throughout, this is the perfect gift for creatives, word nerds, and human beings everywhere.

Teach the little learner in your life the world's biggest words with this fun, adorably illustrated picture book for kids. Filled with amazing A-to-Z art, this clever New York Times bestselling picture book by James and Susan Patterson includes sophisticated words and definitions for clever children to learn. This is the perfect gift for the little ones in your life with "bibliomania," who will appreciate the "juxtaposition" of impressive words and bright, beautiful illustrations. Includes a list of extra words in the back for further learning. Delightfully whimsical artwork by artist Hsinping Pan brings these big words to life, making this early foray into learning fun for all.

Over 2200 of the most difficult words and terms found in the "Big Book" of Alcoholics Anonymous.- Many program topical words included.- Simple phonic pronunciation guides.- Page number references for included words.- Text referenced definitions.- Fits in your Big Book.

MY BIG DICTIONARY, the only big book dictionary for preschool children, offers a great big glimpse at the giant world of words. Through lively, captivating artwork, this enticing volume matches more than 170 familiar terms with easy-to-identify illustrations, encouraging children to attach meaning to words. A special guide for parents and teachers offers hints on using the book with individual readers and in the classroom. Appropriate for children under five.