July, 1969 saw the first human walk on the moon. Celebrate that giant leap forward in space exploration
this month with a trip to Merriam-Webster’s Visual Dictionary
Online. There you can examine a telescope, investigate the planets, and step into a space shuttle. Visit
the Astronomy section and see a galaxy’s worth
of words, pictures, and definitions. Buckle up!
Try Merriam-Webster’s new game, Universal Cryptogram, where YOU are the encryption
device. Faced with a jumble of letters that look like they fell off the back of an alphabet truck, you have seven
minutes to decipher a well-known phrase. Stay cool, keep your head, and solve the puzzle. If you struggle, you
are allowed three hints; if you run out of time, try again tomorrow—or choose a puzzle from the archives.
Good luck, wordsmiths!
Merriam-Webster Unabridged is a writer’s best friend. Whether you are a journalist,
researcher, academic, or novelist, it offers an amazing wealth of online writing resources you can trust.
Subscription grants you access to a whole host of language tools and reference
databases, as well as Merriam-Webster’s own invaluable style guide. Give your
writing definition with Merriam-Webster Unabridged—a world
of word resources at the click of a mouse.
Recent Merriam-Webster Open Dictionary
entries reveal that folks are trying to define the rapid-moving world of technology around them. Ali
from Pakistan offered up intology, defined as "intelligent technology or internet
technology"; Trev submitted phoneymail, a noun meaning "an email originating from a cell
phone"; and Katie from Colorado sent in popunder, a popup ad that comes up behind the
other open windows. Peruse the Open Dictionary by category or alphabetically for more, or submit your own!
Want a fun and easy way to expand your vocabulary? Merriam-Webster Online has you
covered—Rootonym is an exciting new interactive
game designed to help you master new words, one root at a time. We give you the root and four definitions,
and you do the rest. Radish, radicchio,
radical, eradicate!
Look up words instantly while browsing anywhere on the web.
