Synonym Dictionary (off topic)

[Harry Binswanger hb@xxxxxxxx]

I highly recommend Webster's synonym dictionary. Here's my wife's write-up
on it, done for another list:


The name of the synonym dictionary has changed several times over the
years. Its exact current title is:


Merriam Webster's Dictionary of Synonyms: A Dictionary of
Discriminated Synonyms With Antonyms and Analogous and Contrasted
Words (Hardcover) by Inc. Merriam-Webster (Editor)

What's unique about this dictionary is the thoroughness of the
entries. Each entry differentiates several related terms, with explanation and
examples. For instance, here is the beginning of a randomly selected entry:

"*Furnish, equip, outfit, appoint, accouter, arm* are comparable
when they mean to supply a person or something used by him with the
adjuncts necessary or appropriate to his daily living or occupation.
*Furnish* stresses the provision of all essentials; thus, a house is furnished
when it is supplied with all the necessary conveniences that make it ready
for use as a home. *Equip* stresses the provision of things or
occasionally of a single thing making for efficiency in action or in use;
thus, a

poorly furnished kitchen may be short in tables or chairs, but a poorly
equipped kitchen is not adequately provided with the utensils or appliances
needed for cooking and other work carried on there; one equips rather than
furnishes an automobile with four-wheel drive...."

That's the first 30% of the entry. The remainder explains the
distinctions among the other terms. This a typical length entry--
about one column of text.

A well-organized thesaurus helps you to remember a word that you
already know. This dictionary helps you become clearer on the distinctions
between words. I assigned it as a required text when I taught tutorials on
defining terms.

You can "look inside this book" at Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0877793417/ref=pd_rhf_p_1/104-8410337-6161554?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance

PLEASE NOTE: Merriam-Webster sells several other books with
similar titles. Make sure you get the book with the correct title. The
other books,

such as, *The Merriam-Webster Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms,*
are nothing special. Again, the exact title is:
Merriam Webster's Dictionary of Synonyms: A Dictionary of
Discriminated Synonyms With Antonyms and Analogous and Contrasted Words
(Hardcover) by Inc. Merriam-Webster (Editor)


Harry Binswanger
hb@xxxxxxxx