What did that mean?

The English language evolves with use. What a word means today is not what it meant 96 to 181 years ago. On LM_NET Sybil Finemel of Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913 + 1828)supported by The ARTFL Project. Fun to type in a word and see what it used to mean!

GALILEO offers access to Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (in Encyclopædia Britannica Online). It too is easy to search and includes the older meanings.

The grandaddy of dictionaries is the Oxford English Dictionary (also available through GALILEO)

The Oxford English Dictionary is the "accepted authority on the evolution of the English language over the last millennium." The OED gives definitions, etymological analysis, and quotations to demonstrate the use of words in the English language over time.

The fun part of the OED is the timeline of use with dated quotes.

So many ways to find out what a word means yesterday and today!

You get the current password to access GALILEO at home from your Georgia librarian.

-kls