Copyright
Published by Collins
An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Westerhill Road
Bishopbriggs
Glasgow G64 2QT
Second Edition 2015
© HarperCollins Publishers 2010, 2015
eBook Edition © March 2015 ISBN 978-0-00-758365-2
Version: 2015-01-27
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank those authors and publishers who kindly gave permission for copyright material to be used in the Collins Corpus. We would also like to thank Times Newspapers Ltd for providing valuable data.
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Using this dictionary
Dictionary A-Z
Aa
Bb
Cc
Dd
Ee
Ff
Gg
Hh
Ii
Jj
Kk
Ll
Mm
Nn
Oo
Pp
Rr
Ss
Tt
Uu
Vv
Ww
Xx
Yy
Zz
Word Wizard
2D shapes
3D shapes and angles
Numbers and fractions
Time
Parts of speech
Prepositions
Prefixes
Suffixes
Where words come from
Tips for tricky words
Punctuation
The Earth and Space
The Solar System
The Earth
The Moon
Continents
Mountains, rivers, and oceans
Flags of the world
Index
Picture credits
About the Publisher
Using this dictionary
A dictionary helps you to find out what a word means and how to spell it correctly. The words in a dictionary are arranged in alphabetical order.
How to find a word
Think of the first letter in the word you want to look up. Once you know this, there is more than one way to find your word in the dictionary:
You can use the Index at the back of the ebook which lists all of the dictionary words in alphabetical order. Scroll through the Index until you find the letter your word begins with, then look down the words until you find the one you are looking for. You can then follow the link to the entry in the dictionary.
You can use the Contents page at the front of the book, which has a link to every letter in the dictionary. Follow the link to the letter your word begins with, then look through the entries in this letter until you find the word you are looking for.
Finding your way around the dictionary
1. The headword is the word you are looking up.
2. After the headword there can be other forms of the word, such as plural nouns, verb tenses, and comparative and superlative adjectives.
3. The part of speech tells you what type of word the headword is, such as a noun, verb, adjective, adverb, or pronoun.
4. The definition tells you what the word means.
5. If the headword has more than one meaning, each meaning has a different number.
6. Sometimes there is an example to show how the word is used.
7. A pronunciation shows you how to say a difficult word.
8. A word history tells you where a word originally came from.
9. Some entries have a related word, such as a noun, adjective, or adverb made from the headword.
10. Synonyms, or words that you can use instead, are given for some words.
11. Antonyms, or words that have the opposite meaning, are given for some words.
Other features of this dictionary
Some headwords can be spelt in more than one way.
medieval; also spelt mediaeval
age ages, ageing or aging, aged
Sometimes definitions include a label, such as FORMAL, INFORMAL, or TRADEMARK. This tells you a little more about the word or how it is used.
mum mums
NOUN INFORMAL mother
Sometimes a photo or an illustration is included.
mollusc molluscs
NOUN an animal with a soft body and no backbone. Snails, slugs, clams and mussels are all molluscs.
Grammar and spelling tips provide extra information on the spelling or use of words.
different
ADJECTIVE If one thing is different from another, it is not like it.
There are two es in different.
Some definitions tell you where to find more information at another headword.
convex
ADJECTIVE A convex surface bulges outwards, rather than being level or curving inwards.
See concave
ANTONYM: concave
Extra help for you
Word Wizard is a special section after the A-Z to help you with your writing. It contains information on things like parts of speech, prefixes, suffixes, and punctuation. It also tells you how you can improve your spelling. There are interesting facts about where some words come from. It even has information on shapes, numbers, fractions, and angles, along with pictures.
The Earth and Space is a fact-filled section with colourful pictures. This is where to look if you want to know more about the Solar System, the Earth, the Moon, the continents, and the worlds mountains, rivers, and oceans. There are also pages showing you the flags of some of the nations of the world.
Aa
a an
ADJECTIVE A and an are used when you talk about one of something. A is used when the next sound is a consonant: a car, a dog. An is used when the next sound is a vowel (a, e, i, o or u): an apple, an elephant.
abacus abacuses
NOUN a frame with beads that slide along rods, used for counting
[from Greek abax meaning board covered with sand for doing sums on]
abandon abandons, abandoning, abandoned
VERB If you abandon someone or something, you leave them or give them up for good. He abandoned all hope of catching the train on time.
abbey abbeys
NOUN a church with buildings attached to it in which monks or nuns live
abbreviation abbreviations
NOUN a short form of a word or phrase N is an abbreviation for North.
abdomen abdomens
NOUN the front part of your body below your chest, containing your stomach and intestines
abdominal ADJECTIVE
ability abilities
NOUN If you have ability, you have the intelligence and skill to do things.
able
ADJECTIVE If you are able to do something, you can do it.
ANTONYM: unable
abnormal
ADJECTIVE not normal or usual
abnormally ADVERB
aboard
PREPOSITION OR ADVERB If you are aboard a plane or a ship you are on it.
Aborigine Aborigines
NOUN someone descended from the people who were living in Australia before the European settlers arrived
about
PREPOSITION OR ADVERB 1 If you talk or write about a particular thing, you say things that are to do with that subject. a book about London
2 You say about in front of a number to show it is not exact. about two oclock
PHRASE 3 If you are about to do something, you are just going to do it. He was about to leave.
above
PREPOSITION OR ADVERB If one thing is above another, it is higher up. The plane was flying above the clouds.
ANTONYM: below
abroad
ADVERB If you go abroad, you go to another country.
abscess abscesses
NOUN a painful swelling on the body, which contains pus
abseil abseils, abseiling, abseiled
VERB If you abseil down a rock face, you use ropes to go down it.
absent
ADJECTIVE If you are absent from a place, you are not there.
ANTONYM: present
absolute
ADJECTIVE 1 total and complete absolute darkness
2 having total power an absolute ruler
absolutely
ADVERB If you are absolutely sure about something, you are completely sure of it.
absorb absorbs, absorbing, absorbed
VERB If something absorbs liquid or gas, it soaks it up. Plants absorb moisture from the soil.
absorbent
ADJECTIVE If something is absorbent, it soaks up liquids easily.
abstract
ADJECTIVE 1 An abstract idea is based on thoughts and ideas rather than on real objects or happenings, for example bravery and happiness.
2 Abstract art uses shapes rather than images of people or objects.
3 In grammar, abstract nouns refer to qualities or ideas, rather than physical objects, for example happiness.
See noun
absurd
ADJECTIVE Something that is absurd is stupid or ridiculous.
abuse abuses, abusing, abused
Said ab-yooss NOUN 1 cruel treatment of someone
2 rude and unkind remarks
Said ab-yooz VERB 3 To abuse someone is to treat them cruelly.
4 If you abuse someone, you speak to them in a rude and insulting way.
2 rude and unkind remarks
Said ab-yooz VERB 3 To abuse someone is to treat them cruelly.
4 If you abuse someone, you speak to them in a rude and insulting way.
abysmal
ADJECTIVE very bad
abysmally ADVERB
academic academics
ADJECTIVE 1 Academic work is done in school, college and university.
NOUN 2 someone who teaches or does research in a college or university
academy academies
NOUN 1 a school or college, usually one that specializes in a particular subject the Royal Academy of Arts
2 an organization of scientists, writers, artists or musicians
accelerate accelerates, accelerating, accelerated
VERB To accelerate is to speed up.
ANTONYM: decelerate
acceleration
NOUN the rate at which the speed of something increases
accent accents
NOUN a way of pronouncing a language She had an Australian accent.
accept accepts, accepting, accepted
VERB 1 If you accept something, you say yes to it or you take it from someone. She accepted our invitation to the party.
2 If you accept a situation, you realize that it cannot be changed. I accepted that I would have to work hard before my exams.
acceptable
ADJECTIVE satisfactory
access
NOUN If you have access to a place, you may enter it. If you have access to a thing, you may use it.