WR 121 Bryant: Words & Phrases

Resources for researching words and phrases

Databases

Credo Reference
Provides online versions of 500 published reference works, including general and specialized dictionaries and encyclopedias. Try the Concept Map to search for terms and topics that are interconnected and displayed in a visual form. View the "How to search Credo Reference" tutorial.
JSTOR
JSTOR has full text of over 1000 scholarly journals in the arts and sciences, as far back as 18xx up to 3-5 years ago. Note: It does not include current issues of the journals. All ARTstor image collections are now part of JSTOR, and can be searched using the "Images" tab then selecting "ARTstor collections".
Oxford English Dictionary (OED)
More than 600,000 words defined, including historical meanings, word origins, and pronunciations. Examples of past usage are shown through quotations from a rich variety of English language sources.

Online Etymology Dictionary
This site, active for nearly 25 years now, provides historical context for English words. The editor relies on reputable print sources for the content.
Phrase Finder
"2,500 English idioms, phrases and proverbs that we use every day, with their meanings and origins explained." This UK-based site also includes Americanisms, Biblical phrases, and Shakespearean expressions.
Urban Dictionary
User-submitted words go through an internal moderation process. One of the guidelines is: "Don’t be an asshole. We are okay with people defining offensive words. After all, people use offensive words in the real world and a resource for understanding what those words mean can be valuable. However, we are not—and never will be—okay with people using a definition to harass, discriminate, and/or directly incite violence against others."