encyclopedia

English Online Dictionary. What means encyclopedia‎? What does encyclopedia mean?

English

Alternative forms

• encyclopaedia (UK)
• encyclopædia (archaic)

Etymology

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).

Pronunciation

• (Canada) IPA^(key): /ənˌsəɪ.kləˈpi.di.ə/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɪnˌsaɪ.kləˈpi(ː).dɪə/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ɪnˌsaɪ.kləˈpi(ː).di.ə/
• Rhymes: -iːdiə
• Hyphenation: en‧cy‧clo‧pe‧di‧a

Noun

encyclopedia (plural encyclopedias or encyclopediae or encyclopediæ)

2. 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.
4. Similarly comprehensive works in other formats.
6. (dated, specifically) The circle of arts and sciences (see Etymology); a comprehensive summary of knowledge, or of a branch thereof.

Usage notes

• The spelling encyclopedia is standard in American English, common in Canadian English, accepted in Australian and International English, and also very common in British English although nonstandard. Oxford spelling prefers the etymologized form encyclopaedia, reflecting the αι diphthong of Ancient Greek παιδεία. The variant with the æ ligature still appears in the titles of some encyclopaedic works, but it is otherwise archaic in ordinary usage.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

See also

• dictionary

Further reading

• encyclopedia on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “encyclopedia”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.