Descriptionary: A Thematic Dictionary, 4th Edition

by Marc McCutcheon

Overview

How do you look up a word when you know only its definition? Answer: Use Descriptionary! A dictionary will offer you the meaning of a word, and a thesaurus will provide a list of synonyms, but only Descriptionary will lead you directly to the word itself.

Descriptionary is particularly helpful when you are looking for a descriptive or technical term or when you know the subject or meaning but not the specific word. This clever combination of a reverse dictionary and a thesaurus contains thousands of descriptions of terms, organized into subject categories and subcategories, including

• Animals and Insects
• Architecture
• Art
• Clothing
• Electronics
• Environment
• Human Body and Mind
• Language
• Law
• Medicine
• Occupations
• Religions
• Sports
• Tools
• And more

This new edition contains many expanded and updated sections, including those on Politics and the Internet, and dozens of new sections, such as Chemistry, Dinosaurs, Evolution, Fishing, Jewelry, Rocks, and more. Many new terms related to finance and technology have also been added to this user-friendly book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780816079469
Publisher:	Infobase Publishing
Publication date:	06/01/2010
Series:	Facts on File Library of Language and Literature Series
Pages:	711
Product dimensions:	7.70(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.50(d)
Age Range:	11 - 17 Years

Editorial Reviews

This distinctive book can be used as a dictionary or a thesaurus. Particularly helpful to a writer who needs the perfect word to describe something, it was compiled by someone who knows from synonyms and description—McCutcheon, author of The Facts On File Student Thesaurus, Roget's Super Thesaurus, and the Writer's Digest Sourcebook for Building Believable Characters, among other titles. Say you were writing about medieval castles and needed the word for the opening through which arrows were shot from medieval castles—you'll find archeria here. The book covers everything from animals to weapons, with major categories broken down into subcategories. For example, the category of furniture is divided into six parts, including beds, styles, and chairs and sofas. Readers will encounter thousands of concise and basic entries, including a section at the end with words and expressions everyone should know; these entries contain pronunciation, a definition, and an example of how the word should be used in a sentence. BOTTOM LINE This book would be a welcome addition to any library's collection and will serve writers well.—Diane Fulkerson, Univ. of West Georgia Lib., Carrollton

Library Journal

YA-- A dictionary of generic terms or ``buzz words'' of over 20 categories that include the environment, animals, the human body and mind, performing arts and broadcasting, sports, the law, medicine, finance, the military, language, food and drink, and electronics. The book is both fun and useful. The definitions are easy to understand, and YAs can use it to gain a feel for a particular subject or to define a specific word in its thematic use. Its only faults are that subject-area terminology is not all inclusive and specialized subjects need illustrations to clarify definitions. Still, it's an enjoyable and worthwhile reference book.

School Library Journal

For when you know what it is but not what it's called, this ingenious combination of reverse dictionary and thesaurus supplies thousands of descriptions of terms that are organized into 22 broad and 194 narrower categories, so that you won't have to use words like whatchamacallit again. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews