The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000. This latest edition of the American Heritage Dictionary features over 10,000 new words that have found their way into the language; 4,000 color photographs, illustrations, and maps; contributions from a 200 member usage panel of experts; and a CD-ROM CD-ROM: see compact disc. CD-ROM in full compact disc read-only memory Type of computer storage medium that is read optically (e.g., by a laser). that contains all the text of the bound book, with less art. It also contains the words retired from the third edition. (You can also purchase the CD-ROM separately.) The following list contains some of the new words that are included in this updated 200,000 word dictionary: social and political: empty nest syndrome empty nest syndrome Psychology A popular term for the understudied constellation of Sx described in middle-aged ♀ whose children have left home/the 'nest' for college/university, career, marriage Clinical Depression, loss of self-esteem, loneliness, as mom , sex offender, shopaholic, transgendered, yuppify yup·pi·fy tr.v. yup·pi·fied, yup·pi·fy·ing, yup·pi·fies To make (an urban area, for example) attractive to young affluent residents or consumers. [yuppie + -fy. computers and the Internet: domain name, dot-com, intranet, taskbar, URL, zine medicine and physiology: acid reflux, ADHD Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Definition Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a developmental disorder characterized by distractibility, hyperactivity, impulsive behaviors, and the inability to remain focused on tasks or , mad cow disease mad cow disease: see prion. mad cow disease or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) Fatal neurodegenerative disease of cattle. Symptoms include behavioral changes (e.g. , transfatty acid, body mass index sports: bodyboard bod·y·board also bod·y-board n. A very short surfboard with one straight end, ridden usually by lying on one's chest. intr.v. bod·y·board·ed, bod·y·board·ing, bod·y·boards To surf on a bodyboard. , clap skate, cross-train, five hole, trash talk, wallyball wal·ly·ball n. A game similar to volleyball played on a four-walled court with a ball the same size as but harder than a volleyball that is allowed to bounce once off the ceiling or one of the walls before being returned over the net. general: benign neglect, control freak, in-your-face, plain vanilla, reality check, wake-up call, workfare, wuss, nanny state, reverse mortgage geographical: Belarus, Chechnya, Kosovo, Nunavut biographical: William Henry Gates, Garry Kasparov, Janet Reno, Oprah Winfrey, Colin Powell The dictionary also features engaging Notes dealing with word histories, word usage, and many other appropriate topics. A new Notes program, "Our Living Language," shows how American subcultures (from teenagers to immigrants) have influenced the way words are used, such as "rent" to mean "parent." And if you prefer to hear a word's pronunciation rather than to read it, you can use the dictionary's CD-ROM for a point and click aural demonstration. Joseph Pickett, the executive editor of the dictionary, says he received an American Heritage Dictionary many years ago as a high school graduation present and the gift sparked a lifelong love of words. I'm not sure giving this dictionary to a graduate today would have the same effect, but I feel sure its recipients will have an easier time figuring out what is going on in the vast symbolic world of our language. |
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