The Oxf ord Dictionary of Difficult Words

Abstract

Everyday words we know as well as we know our own names, and we use them as naturally as breathing. But what about those thousands of other words that we can't quite commit to memory-but that соте up all the time in reading, in meetings, or in the classroom? Words like lucubrate ('discourse learnedly in writing'), demesne ('land attached to а manor'), and cynosure ('а person or thing that is the center of atten­tion or admiration') hover оn the margins of our vocabularies. We run across such words from time to time, and when we do we may not know quite what they mean, or we simply draw а blank. The Oxford Dictionary of Dif.ficult Wvrds presents the words we really need to know, without the added burden of those we never look up. The definitions are concise and clear, and are enhanced bу sentences and phrases that show the word, or а certain sense of it, used in context. Usage notes are there to help make your use of words more precise and powerful. This dictionary will help you understand words outside your every­day "working" vocabulary, words that are too learned, specialized, or highbrow for day-to-day usage. Abundant cross references help distin­guish words that are related ('deism' and 'theism') or opposite ('eso­teric' and 'exoteric'). The Oxford Dictionary of Difficult Wvrds is а handy reference that сап bе carried with you to enhance your reading and learning experience wherever you go.