Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An encyclopedia.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A book containing accounts of the principal subjects in one branch of science, art, or learning in general: as, a cyclopedia of botany; a cyclopedia of mechanics.
  • noun In a broader sense, a book comprising accounts of all branches of learning; an encyclopedia. See encyclopedia.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The circle or compass of the arts and sciences (originally, of the seven so-called liberal arts and sciences); circle of human knowledge. Hence, a work containing, in alphabetical order, information in all departments of knowledge, or on a particular department or branch. See encyclopedia.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Alternative spelling of cyclopaedia.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a reference work (often in several volumes) containing articles on various topics (often arranged in alphabetical order) dealing with the entire range of human knowledge or with some particular specialty

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Short for encyclopedia.]

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Examples

  • By 1984 E. Frank Henriques, in "The Signet E.cyclopedia of Wine," had essentially downgraded it to a "good little Italian white wine."

    New Life for an Old Favorite: Soave 2009

  • Strategies responding to early modern information overload, such as the cyclopedia, exit from the other side.

    Information, Culture, Policy, Education: Information design 2009

  • I have not been terribly interested in the Post/Baldridge/ et al. cyclopedia approaches how to set the table and arrange your guests ,and which forks and spoons to use when and how, which glasses for the reds, whites, burgundies, etc., is pretty ubiquitously available, in as little or much detail as one might desire but rather in deeper treatments of the underlying elements of gentlemanly and gentlewomanly character and conduct.

    Archive 2008-09-07 papabear 2008

  • I have not been terribly interested in the Post/Baldridge/ et al. cyclopedia approaches how to set the table and arrange your guests ,and which forks and spoons to use when and how, which glasses for the reds, whites, burgundies, etc., is pretty ubiquitously available, in as little or much detail as one might desire but rather in deeper treatments of the underlying elements of gentlemanly and gentlewomanly character and conduct.

    The New Beginning papabear 2008

  • I'm flattered that you decided to do a biography of me and my band in your e-cyclopedia.

    Richard Morse: An Open Letter to Wikipedia 2008

  • He had studied his Baedeker as club women study the cyclopedia.

    Our Mr. Wrenn 2004

  • Before him, indeed, was a very lexicon of air, a dictionary or cyclopedia that would be hard to exhaust.

    Comanche Moon Larry McMurtry 1997

  • Before him, indeed, was a very lexicon of air, a dictionary or cyclopedia that would be hard to exhaust.

    Comanche Moon Larry McMurtry 1997

  • Before him, indeed, was a very lexicon of air, a dictionary or cyclopedia that would be hard to exhaust.

    Comanche Moon Larry McMurtry 1997

  • Before him, indeed, was a very lexicon of air, a dictionary or cyclopedia that would be hard to exhaust.

    The Lonesome Dove Series Larry McMurtry 1995

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