encyclopedia
Plural: encyclopediae, encyclopedias, encyclopediæ
Noun
- a reference work (often in several volumes) containing articles on various topics (often arranged in alphabetical order) dealing with the entire range of human knowledge or with some particular specialty
- A comprehensive reference work (often spanning several printed volumes) with articles (usually arranged in alphabetical order, or sometimes arranged by category) on a range of subjects, sometimes general, sometimes limited to a particular field.
- Similarly comprehensive works in other formats.
- The circle of arts and sciences (see Etymology); a comprehensive summary of knowledge, or of a branch thereof.
Examples
- His life's work is a four-volume encyclopedia of aviation topics.
- I have no idea how to build this model railroad, so I'm gonna look it up on Trainpedia, the encyclopedia for all things model train.
- I only use the library for the encyclopedia, as we’ve got most other books here.
- My old encyclopedia has been gathering dust on the shelf for the past decade.
- Sally is reading an encyclopedia on birds.
- The ancient Mesopotamians never got to write an encyclopedia on stone.
- Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia that anyone can edit.
Origin / Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₁en-
Proto-Indo-European *h₁en-
Proto-Indo-European *h₁én
Ancient Greek ἐν (en)
Ancient Greek ἐν- (en-)
Proto-Indo-European *kʷel-
Proto-Indo-European *kʷékʷlos
Ancient Greek κύκλος (kúklos)
Proto-Indo-European *-yósder.
Ancient Greek -ιος (-ios)
Ancient Greek ἐγκύκλῐος (enkúklĭos)
Proto-Indo-European *peh₂w-der.
Proto-Hellenic *pā́wits
Ancient Greek παῖς (paîs)
Ancient Greek -εύς (-eús)
Ancient Greek -εύω (-eúō)
Ancient Greek παιδεύω (paideúō)
Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂
Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂
Ancient Greek -ία (-ía)
Ancient Greek παιδείᾱ (paideíā)
Ancient Greek ἐγκύκλιος παιδείᾱ (enkúklios paideíā)bor.
New Latin encyclopaedīabor.
English encyclopedia
Borrowed from New Latin encyclopēdīa, encyclopaedīa (“general education”), a univerbated form of Koine Greek ἐγκύκλιος παιδείᾱ (enkúklios paideíā, “education in the circle of arts and sciences”), from Ancient Greek ἐγκύκλιος (enkúklios, “circular”) + παιδείᾱ (paideíā, “childrearing; education”) (q.v.). Nearly all modern English usage of the word was influenced by the scope and format of the French Encyclopédie by Diderot et al. (see quotation).
Synonyms
Scrabble Score: 22
encyclopedia: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordencyclopedia: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
encyclopedia: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary