Duke - 08 May 2008 03:29 AM
Just wondering if the members of this forum would post their most useful or favorite on-line resources.
There are several here who have access to the OED on-line. That is the prince of all databases for English word history. Most UK libraries allow for on-line searches from home for their patrons. Some US cities do as well. Most colleges do.
Dave’s Big List is an important first place to check. The link is also at the center-top of this page.
Second might be Etymology Online. Etymologies are far briefer than OED, on which it seems to be based and the number of words are far fewer, but a good place to start.
Some dictionaries have etymologies for words. The American Heritage Dictionary (AHD4) is good, but popup ads appear when you click on the search field. Merriam/Webster usually has a much more brief etymology in most cases, but has other resources.
The Perseus collection at Tufts is used occasionally by those seeking Greek or Latin roots.
For the Hebrew and Greek Bibles, Blue Letter Bible is hard to beat. Some knowledge about how the Bible is organized is helpful.
Phrase Finder is helpful for phrases.
Word Wizard
Searches at LanguageHat and LanguageLog are always intersting.
The list goes on…
