Xavier University Library: Database Guides: Dictionaries & Encyclopedias

Britannica Online Academic Edition (all full-text; XLinks) is the online version of Encyclopaedia Britannica that contains more than 118,000 articles, updated and revised by Encyclopædia Britannica editors and contributors; over 14,000 illustrations, including photographs, drawings, maps, and flags; and more than 215,000 word entries, including definitions, pronunciation guides, and word histories. It includes an Internet directory that provides more than 300,000 links to Web sites selected, rated, and reviewed by Britannica editors. It is produced by and the user interface is provided by Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.

Britannica Online School Edition (all full-text; XLinks) includes Britannica Elementary Encyclopedia, Britannica Concise Encyclopedia, Compton's by Britannica, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, journals and magazines, websites, and videos. It also contains learning materials for the language arts, science, social studies, and mathematics as well as teacher's resources. The Britannica Learning Zone is an audio-guided, colorful, and interactive user interface for pre-K2 children. In this special feature a dog named Newton prompts children to explore the world, play, learn fun words, or make a drawing. It is produced by and the user interface is provided by Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.

Credo Reference (all full-text; list of titles; XLinks; user guide; search tips; RefWorks help), formerly Xreferplus, provides hundreds of electronic reference books covering a broad range of subjects, including art, bilinguals, biography, business, dictionaries, encyclopedias, food, geography, history, language, law, literature, medicine, music, philosophy, psychology, quotations, religion, science, social sciences, and technology. It features over 65,000 images (art, diagrams, maps and photos) and over 93,000 audio pronunciation files accessible in the advanced search. It is produced by and the user interface is provided by Xrefer. Users can also find these electronic books in XPLORE, the library's online catalog.

Funk and Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia (all full-text; updated annually;RefWorks help; XLinks) provides over 25,000 entries that may be searched by subject or keywords within each entry. It is produced by Funk & Wagnalls and the user interface is provided by by EBSCO Publishing.

Kid's Search (much full-text; RefWorks help; XLinks) provides elementary school students in kindergarten through 5th grade with an easy-to-use, graphically-appealing search interface for databases such as American Heritage Dictionary, BookSource NonFiction, EBSCO Animals, Image Collection, Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, History Reference Center, Historical Video Collection, Marshall Cavendish Science Reference Center, Marshall Cavendish Wildlife Reference Center, Middle Search Plus, Newspaper Source, Primary Search, and TOPICsearch. Teacher resources search databases such as Academic Search Elite, Academic Search Premier, Advanced Placement Source, ERIC and the Professional Development Collection. It is produced by and the user interface is provided by the EBSCO Publishing.

OhioLINK Electronic Book Center (all full-text; RefWorks help) contains thousands of scholarly and reference e-books covering the humanities, sciences and social sciences. Users can search the collection by keyword or phrase or browse the collection by author, title or subject area. The individual collections that have links can be searched separately. The collections come from multiple publishers (ABC-CLIO, Gale, Oxford University Press, Sage & Springer) and the user interface for the combined collections is provided by OhioLINK. Users can also find these electronic books in XPLORE, the library's online catalog.

Oxford English Dictionary (OED) (middle ages-present; all full-text; XLinks), an historical dictionary of the English language, is the online version of the 2nd print edition of the dictionary. It is produced by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press.

Oxford Reference Online (all full-text; XLinks; RefWorks help) is a cross-searchable database of about 100 encyclopedias, dictionaries, and reference works. It covers general reference as well as specific subject categories that are listed as separate databases: art and architecture, biological sciences, classics, computing, earth and environmental sciences, economics and business, English dictionaries and thesauri, English language and reference, food and nutrition, history, law, literature, maps and illustrations, medicine, military history, modern languages, mythology and folklore, names and places, performing arts, physical sciences and mathematics, politics and social sciences, quotations, religion and philosophy, science,and timelines. All subject categories can be searched separately. It is published by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press. Users can also find these electronic books in XPLORE, the library's online catalog. This subscription is limited to 5 simultaneous users.

Oxford Reference Online, English Dictionaries and Thesauruses (all full-text; XLinks; RefWorks help) is a cross-searchable database of 6 Amercian and English dictionaries and thesauruses. It is published by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press. This subscription is limited to 5 simultaneous users.

Oxford Reference Online, English Language Reference (all full-text; XLinks; RefWorks help) is a cross-searchable database of 11 encyclopedias, dictionaries and reference works covering American usage and style, abbreviations, English grammar, English language, entymology, eponyms, foreign terms in English, idioms, linguistics, modern English usage and proverbs. It is published by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press. This subscription is limited to 5 simultaneous users.

Oxford Reference Online, History (all full-text; XLinks; RefWorks help) is a cross-searchable database of 22 encyclopedias, dictionaries and reference works covering American military hisotry, archaeology, Australian hisotry, British history, Canadian history, dynasties of the world, history of modern science, kings and queens of Britain, local and family history, military history, political biography, popes, saints, who's who in the 20th century, world history, World War II, US government, US history and US military. It is published by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press. This subscription is limited to 5 simultaneous users.

Oxford Reference Online, Maps and Illustrations (all full-text; XLinks; RefWorks help) is a cross-searchable database of 3 reference works covering flags and maps as well as a visual English dictionary. It is published by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press. This subscription is limited to 5 simultaneous users.

Oxford Reference Online, Names and Places (all full-text; XLinks; RefWorks help is a cross-searchable database of 4 reference works covering British and world place-names, countries of the world and first names. It is published by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press. This subscription is limited to 5 simultaneous users.

Oxford Reference Online, Quotations (all full-text; XLinks; RefWorks help) is a cross-searchable database of 3 quotation dictionaries. It is published by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press. This subscription is limited to 5 simultaneous users.

Student Research Center (much full-text; RefWorks help; XLinks) provides students in grades 6 through 12 an easy-to-use search interface for databases such as Columbia Encyclopedia, Health Source: Consumer, MAS Ultra, Middle Search Plus, Newspaper Source, Topic Search, and Vocational and Career Collection. Teacher resources search databases such as Academic Search Premier, ERIC and the Professional Development Collection. Students can easily determine which content sources (magazines, newspapers, biographies, country reports, or film & video) will be included with their search. It is produced by and the user interface is provided by the EBSCO Publishing.

Oxford Reference Online, Timelines (all full-text; XLinks; RefWorks help) contains timelines by theme (art and architecture; literature; performing arts; politics and government; science, technology and medicine; society; and war), subthemes and country (Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and United States) as well as a twentieth century timeline. It is published by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press. This subscription is limited to 5 simultaneous users.

Roget's II: The New Thesaurus (all full-text) contains 35,000 synonyms and over 250,000 cross-references. It features succinct word definitions and a hyperlinked category index. It is produced by Houghton-Mifflin and the user interface is provided by Bartleby.com.

Webster's Third New International Dictionary Unabridged (all full-text; XLinks) contains over 470,000 entries. A special features enables users to use the dictionary to solve crossword puzzles or jumbles and to locate rhymes and homophones. Advanced searches permit the use of Starts with or Ends with searchers as well as a wildcard (*) for unknown letters anywhere in the word. Searches can also be limited to the main entry, etymology, function, verbal illustration, synonymy paragraph or author quoted. It is produced by Merriam-Webster, Inc. and the user interface is provided by Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.

World Book Web (all full-text; XLinks) includes World Book Dictionary, World Book Atlas, World Book Advanced, World Book Kids, and Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos. This suite of online research tools delivers encyclopedia articles, primary source collections, educator tools, student activities, pictures, tabular data, research guides, maps, audio and video, as well as encyclopedia articles, special reports, back-in-time articles, periodical articles and related Web sites. Special features include Explore Ohio, Feature of the Month, Behind the Headlines, Surf the Ages, Today in History, and Media Showcase. Educator's Tools includes Ohio Content Standards, Lesson Plan Links, and Professional Links. It is produced by and the user interface is provided by World Book, Inc.

African American Experience (African-American origins to the present; all full-text) is a cross-searchable collection of African-American history and culture. It covers the arts, biography, business, civil rights, education, folklore, history, literature, music, politics, pop culture, science, slavery, sports, and technology. This collection includes the African-American Greenwood encyclopedias, other references books, and 67 Negro University Press texts from the late 1700s to the early 1970s. Primary sources include 4,000 interviews wtih former slaves (the WPA slave narratives), as well as manuscripts, speeches, court cases, quotations, advertisements, and statistics. Special features include a timeline dating from the 1400s to the present, In their Own Voices audio clips of slave interviews and music, lesson plans, and hundreds of photographs, maps and images. It is produced by and the user interface is provided by Greenwood Publishing Group.

Annals of American History (all full-text; XLinks) is an encyclopedia that covers the arts, business, democracy, discrimination, diversity, education, expansion, family, government, imperialism, labor, law, leisure, peace, religion,and war. It provides 2,000 primary documents in American history, including speeches, historical accounts, memoirs, editorials and cultural criticism. Multimedia files include over 500 pictures, hundreds of video clips, and audio files of famous speeches. It is produced by and the user interface is provided by Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Britannica Online Japan (all full-text; XLinks) is a comprehensive reference source in the Japanese language for students and researchers. It contains over 155,000 articles from the complete Britannica International Encyclopedia, as well as 8,500 images, illustrations and maps. It maintains its currency with articles from the Britannica International Yearbook and regularly updated homepage features. It is produced by and the user interface is provided by Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.

Britannica Online Korea (all full-text; XLinks) is an authoritative Korean-language reference source that includes more than 110,000 articles from the Korean version of Encyclopaedia Britannica, the Korean Britannica Book of the Year, Yonsei University's Korean Dictionary, and a world atlas. It includes more than 19,300 photos, graphics, animations, videos, and audio clips. It is produced by and the user interface is provided by Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Accessible only through the general Global Reference Center link. Scroll down the page to the specific resource.

Britannica Pocket Encyclopedia (Chinese) (all full-text; XLinks) provides 14,000 articles in Simplified Chinese with 1,600 images and 200 maps. Primary subject areas include life sciences, natural science, social science, engineering, technology, history, geography, philosophy, religion, humanities, arts, sports, and recreation. Article titles are provided in both English and Simplified Chinese. It is produced by and the user interface is provided by Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Accessible only through the general Global Reference Center link. Scroll down the page to the specific resource.

CultureGrams (all full-text; XLinks) includes a world, children and states editions. It contains a photo gallery, recipe collection, famous people, data tables and definitions. Select from an A-Z list of countries/regions/states or select an area on a map. Each country includes a detailed map, flag, national anthem, current time, currency converter, recipe collection, facts and statistics as well as sections on history, climate, the people, customs, courtesies, lifestyle and society. It is produced by and the user interface is provided by Brigham Young University.

Encyclopaedia Universalis (French) (all full-text; XLinks) is the most comprehensive encyclopedia in the French Language. It provides access to more than 33,000 articles; 17,000 media items; a world atlas with over 700 maps; an integrated dictionary with 120,000 entries; and a guide to selected websites. It is produced by and the user interface is provided by Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Accessible only through the general Global Reference Center link. Scroll down the page to the specific resource.

Encyclopedia of Life Sciences (continuously updated; all full-text; XLinks) is a reference work in the biological sciences for both students and professionals. It contains 3,000 articles written by 5,000 contributing scientists which are categorized as introductory, advanced or keynote. It includes links to related articles and subject portals, a glossary and excellent graphics that can be printed separately. It is produced by and the user interface is provided by Wiley InterScience.

Encyclopedia of Philosophy Online (updated regularly; all full-text; XLinks) is an online version of Routledge's 10-volume 1998 print philosophy encyclopedia. It features 2,000 original entries from a team of over 1,300 of the world's most respected scholars and philosophers. It contains 25,000 hot-linked cross-references between articles. It is produced by and the user interface is provided by Routledge.

Global Reference Center (all full-text; XLinks) contains comprehensive online content in a variety of global languages: Spanish Reference Center, Britannica Online Japan, Britannica Online Korea, Britannica Pocket Encyclopedia (in Simplified Chinese), Encyclopaedia Universalis (in French). It is produced by and the user interface is provided by Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.

New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis (library only database) contains the guide to theology and exegesis, 3,000 lexical and topical entries, integrated cross references, and indexes. It includes abbreviations and transliterations. It is published by and the user interface is provided by Zondervan Publishing.

Oxford Art Online (prehistory-1990's; updated monthly; all full-text; temporary off-campus link; XLinks) is the online version of the 1996 edition of Dictionary of Art and the 2001 edition of the Oxford Companion to Western Art. It also contains Grove Art Online, Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms, Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, and direct links from articles in Oxford Art Online to ARTstor and Art Resources. It contains 45,000 articles on every aspect of the visual arts (painting, sculpture, graphic arts, architecture, decorative arts, photography) and contains biographical information on over 20,000 artists, patrons, collectors, and dealers with bibliographic citations at the end of each article. It also contains many embedded images and links to external images. It is produced by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press.

Oxford Biblical Studies Online (prehistory-1990's; updated monthly; all full-text; XLinks) is a comprehensive resource for the study of the Bible and biblical history directed toward college students, scholars, clergy, and anyone in need of an authoritative, ecumenical and up-to-date resource. There is a Bible verse look-up feature as well as search and browse capabilities. Texts from selected Oxford Bibles can be viewed in a side-by-side display with the user's choice of commentary and annotation for the Study Bibles, the stand-alone Oxford Bible Commentary, and A to Z concordances for the NRSV and NAB translations. Bible content is supplemented by collections of major apocryphal Old and New Testament texts in translation, as well as Oxford Handbook of Biblical Studies, Oxford History of the Biblical World, Oxford Illustrated History of the Bible, Oxford Bible Atlas, and other works. Also included is quick access to over 5,000 A to Z entries from the Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Oxford Companion to the Bible. There are hundreds of topical essays and images, timelines, tables and charts, Internet resources, a lectionary calendar, and suggested reading lists. It is produced by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press.

Oxford Music Online (updated quarterly and annually; all full-text; temporary off-campus link; XLinks) is the online version of New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (second edition in 29 volumes). It also contains Grove Music Online, New Grove Dictionary of Opera (4 volumes), New Grove Dictionary of Jazz (second edition; 3 volumes), Oxford Dictionary of Music (2nd ed.), and the Oxford Companion to Music. It contains more than 25 million words and 29,000 articles by 6,000 contributors. It provides an integrated music resource that covers all aspects of music. It contains sophisticated search capabilities; cross-referencing; links from articles in Oxford Music Online to RLIM, DRAM and Classical Music Library sites (click the Related Content tab). It is produced by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press. This subscription is limited to 5 simultaneous users.

Oxford Reference Online, Art and Architecture (all full-text; XLinks; RefWorks help) is a cross-searchable database of 8 encyclopedias, dictionaries and reference works covering architecture, art, art terms, artists, modern design, western art and twentieth century art. It is produced by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press. This subscription is limited to 5 simultaneous users.

Oxford Reference Online, Biological Sciences (all full-text; XLinks; RefWorks help) is a cross-searchable database of 6 encyclopedias, dictionaries and reference works covering biology, the body, ecology, plant sciences, scientists and zoology. It is published by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press. This subscription is limited to 5 simultaneous users.

Oxford Reference Online, Classics (all full-text; XLinks; RefWorks help) is a cross-searchable database of 5 encyclopedias, dictionaries and reference works covering classical civilization, classical literature and who's who in the classical world as well as Latin-English and English-Latin dictionaries. It is published by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press. This subscription is limited to 5 simultaneous users.

Oxford Reference Online, Computing (all full-text; XLinks; RefWorks help) is a cross-searchable database of 3 encyclopedias, dictionaries and reference works published covering computing and the Internet as well as a dictionary of weights, measures and units. It is published by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press. This subscription is limited to 5 simultaneous users.

Oxford Reference Online, Earth and Environmental Sciences (all full-text; XLinks; RefWorks help) is a cross-searchable database of 5 encyclopedias, dictionaries and reference works covering the earth, earth sciences, ecology, geography and weather. It is published by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press. This subscription is limited to 5 simultaneous users.

Oxford Reference Online, Economics and Business (all full-text; XLinks; RefWorks help) is a cross-searchable database of 6 encyclopedias, dictionaries and reference works covering accounting, banking, business, economics, finance, human resource management and international financial terms. It is published by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press. This subscription is limited to 5 simultaneous users.

Oxford Reference Online, Food and Drink (all full-text; XLinks; RefWorks help) is a cross-searchable database of 3 encyclopedias, dictionaries and reference works covering diet, drink, exercise, food and nutrition. It is published by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press. This subscription is limited to 5 simultaneous users.

Oxford Reference Online, Law (all full-text; XLinks; RefWorks help) is a cross-searchable database of 3 encyclopedias, dictionaries and reference works covering American law, law and US Supreme Court decisions. It is published by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press. This subscription is limited to 5 simultaneous users.

Oxford Reference Online, Literature (all full-text; XLinks; RefWorks help) is a cross-searchable database of 12 encyclopedias, dictionaries and reference works covering 20th century African American, American, classical, English and Irish literature as well as literary terms, Shakespeare, twentieth century English poetry, and writers and their works. It is published by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press. This subscription is limited to 5 simultaneous users.

Oxford Reference Online, Medicine (all full-text; XLinks; RefWorks help) is a cross-searchable database of 6 encyclopedias, dictionaries and reference works covering the body, medical terms, medicinal drugs, medicine, nursing, psychology and sports science. It is published by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press. This subscription is limited to 5 simultaneous users.

Oxford Reference Online, Military History (all full-text; XLinks; RefWorks help) is a cross-searchable database of 4 encyclopedias, dictionaries and reference works covering American military history, military history, the US military and World War II. It is published by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press. This subscription is limited to 5 simultaneous users.

Oxford Reference Online, Modern Languages (all full-text; XLinks; RefWorks help) is a cross-searchable database of 14 bilingual dictionaries covering French, German, Italian and Spanish languages. It includes business dictionaries for French and Spanish. It is published by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press. This subscription is limited to 5 simultaneous users.

Oxford Reference Online, Mythology and Folklore (all full-text; XLinks; RefWorks help is a cross-searchable database of 7 encyclopedias, dictionaries and reference works covering African, Asian, Celtic and world mythology as well as English folklore and superstitions. It is published by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press. This subscription is limited to 5 simultaneous users.

Oxford Reference Online, Performing Arts (all full-text; XLinks; RefWorks help) is a cross-searchable database of 8 encyclopedias, dictionaries and reference works covering American theater, dance, music, opera, Shakespeare, theater and who's who in opera. It is published by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press. This subscription is limited to 5 simultaneous users.

Oxford Reference Online, Physical Sciences & Mathematics (all full-text; XLinks; RefWorks help) is a cross-searchable database of 7 encyclopedias, dictionaries and reference works covering astronomy, chemistry, mathematics, physics, scientists, statistics, and technology as well as weights, measures and units. It is published by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press. This subscription is limited to 5 simultaneous users.

Oxford Reference Online, Politics and Social Sciences (all full-text; XLinks; RefWorks help) is a cross-searchable database of 10 encyclopedias, dictionaries and reference works covering contemporary world history, countries of the world, geography, political biography, politics, politics of the world, psychology, social sciences, sociology and US government. It is published by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press. This subscription is limited to 5 simultaneous users.

Oxford Reference Online, Religion and Philosophy (all full-text; XLinks; RefWorks help) is a cross-searchable database of 12 encyclopedias, dictionaries and reference works covering the bible, Buddhism, the christian church, Islam, the Jewish religion, people and places of the bible, philosophy, popes, saints and world religions. It is published by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press. This subscription is limited to 5 simultaneous users.

Oxford Reference Online, Science (all full-text; XLinks; RefWorks help) is a cross-searchable database of 24 encyclopedias, dictionaries and reference works covering astronomy, biology, the body, chemistry, the earth, earth sciences, ecology, history of modern science, mathematics, medical terms, medicinal drugs, medicine, nursing, physics, plant sciences, psychology, scientists, space exploration, ports science, statistics, weather and zoology as well as weights, measures and units. It is published by and the user interface is provided by Oxford University Press. This subscription is limited to 5 simultaneous users.

Science Online (all full-text; XLinks) is an online encyclopedia and NOT the journal, Science. It offers a comprehensive, curriculum-oriented overview of a broad range of scientific disciplines including biology and life sciences, chemistry, computer science, earth science, environmental science, forensic science, mathematics, physics, space and astronomy, and weather and climate. Content is organized by subject area and type of resource, as well as by national and state science education standards. It contains over 6,800 printable diagrams, illustrations and images; hundreds of videos and flash animations; over 1,000 science experiments and activities indexed by grade and time required; thousands of biographies of key scientists; thousands of definitions; a searchable timeline of science history; and national and state science education standards. Special features include Editor's Selection of the Month and Focus On. It is produced by and the user interface is provided by Facts on File.

Searchasaurus provides a child-friendly search interface for EBSCO databases for children: Middle Search Plus, Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia of Animals (formerly EBSCO Animals), American Heritage Children's Dictionary, and Primary Search, as well as Pictures, and Fun Facts. It is produced by and the user interface is by EBSCO Publishing.

Spanish Reference Center (all full-text; XLinks) is the most comprehensive encyclopedia in the Spanish language. It includes PlanetaSaber and Enciclopedia Juvenil. PlanetaSaber contains over 145,000 articles, more than 9,100 images, maps, timelines, an atlas, a dictionary, and tables. It is a Spanish language reference resource for native Spanish speakers, bilingual students, and students learning Spanish. Enciclopedia Juvenil provides a Spanish language encyclopedia, images, videos, and learning materials specifically designed or younger learners. It is produced by and the user interface is provided by Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.

Women and Social Movements (1600-2000; all full-text; XLinks) contains 79 document projects consisting of 2,400 documents from 1,700 primary authors. It includes local, state, and federal Commissions on the Status of Women from 1963 to the present. Publications include reports, pamphlets, posters, reviews, teaching tools and ephemeral materials. Users can browse by sources, authors, documents, images, document projects, teaching tools, social movements, subjects and bibliography. This database will eventually include the complete 5 volumes of Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary. It is produced by and the user interface is provided by Alexander Street Press in collaboration with the University of Chicago.

World Data Analyst (all full-text; XLinks) offers detailed comparative and ranked statistics for countries around the world, using both the most recent statistics and historical figures. Users can create tables and charts, and can export data into spreadsheets. It also provides links to country articles from the Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. It is produced by and the user interface is provided by Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.