January 18th was National Thesaurus Day. Did you miss it? Darn; there's always next year!
Gone are the days when everyone had a dictionary and thesaurus on the desk; that space is now utilized by the computer monitor. Being a Luddite, I can't quite get used to looking for words online and prefer to use a now bedraggled copy I bought in High School (many years ago). For those of you who prefer the electronic method, there are a some good online resources available to you:
thesaurus.com is a good basic thesaurus. Type in a word and you will recieve part of speech, definintion and synonyms. A link is provided to the visual thesaurus website. Also available is the word of the day, a blog discussing "hot" words being used in the media, and a daily list of interesting synonyms; all fantastic ways to build and improve your vocabulary!
wordcentral.com is a word info site for kids. There is a dictionary and thesaurus, as well as games to utilize spelling, comprehension and rhyming skills.
visualthesaurus.com is a fun way to learn about words. The site provides visual maps with meanings and definitions forming relationships among related words. This is a subscription site, but it does allow three free searches per visit.
merriam-webster.com is another basic site. Type in a word and you will be given part of speech, definition, synonyms, related words and antonyms. This site is hosted by Encylopedia Britannica, but there are a few advertisements here and there.
If you want to try the old-fashioned method of looking for and browsing through words, we have a few thesauri available for check-out or reference. Also, feel free to call the front desk - we are happy to look up words for you over the phone.
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