Britannica Dictionary -Ebook' title='Britannica Dictionary -Ebook' />Explore BadgerLink resources below. For a more specific list, use the filters. Gehenna definition, the valley of Hinnom, near Jerusalem, where propitiatory sacrifices were made to Moloch. Xml Tools Plugin Unable Load Dtd. II Kings 2310. See more. Encyclopedia Wikipedia. Title page of Lucubrationes. An encyclopedia or encyclopaedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of information from either all branches of knowledge or from a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles or entries that are often arranged alphabetically by article name2 and sometimes by thematic categories. Encyclopedia entries are longer and more detailed than those in most dictionaries. Generally speaking, unlike dictionary entries which focus on linguistic information about words, such as their meaning, pronunciation, use, and grammatical forms, encyclopedia articles focus on factual information concerning the subject named in the articles title. Encyclopedias have existed for around 2,0. As a valued source of reliable information compiled by experts, printed versions found a prominent place in libraries, schools and other educational institutions. The appearance of digital and open source versions in the 2. Etymology. Indeed, the purpose of an encyclopedia is to collect knowledge disseminated around the globe to set forth its general system to the men with whom we live, and transmit it to those who will come after us, so that the work of preceding centuries will not become useless to the centuries to come and so that our offspring, becoming better instructed, will at the same time become more virtuous and happy, and that we should not die without having rendered a service to the human race in the future years to come. Diderot7The word encyclopedia comes from the Koine Greek ,8 transliterated enkyklios paideia, meaning general education from enkyklios, meaning circular, recurrent, required regularly, general9 and paideia, meaning education, rearing of a child 1. Latin manuscripts. Together, the phrase literally translates as complete instruction or complete knowledge. Define debridement the usually surgical removal of lacerated, devitalized, or contaminated tissue. Copyists of Latin manuscripts took this phrase to be a single Greek word, enkyklopaidia, with the same meaning, and this spurious Greek word became the New Latin word encyclopaedia, which in turn came into English. Though the notion of a compendium of knowledge dates back thousands of years, the term was first used in the title of a book in 1. Johannes Aventinus Encyclopedia orbisque doctrinarum, hoc est omnium artium, scientiarum, ipsius philosophiae index ac divisio, and in 1. Joachimus Fortius Ringelbergius, Lucubrationes vel potius absolutissima kyklopaideia. Title page of Skalichs. Encyclopaedia, seu orbis disciplinarum, tam sacrarum quam prophanarum, epistemon from 1. The word encyclopaedia was first used as a noun in the title of his book by the Croatian encyclopedist Pavao Skali in his Encyclopaedia seu orbis disciplinarum tam sacrarum quam prophanarum epistemon Encyclopaedia, or Knowledge of the World of Disciplines, Basel, 1. One of the oldest vernacular uses was by Franois Rabelais in his Pantagruel in 1. Several encyclopedias have names that include the suffix paedia, e. Banglapedia on matters relevant for Bangladesh. Today in English, the word is most commonly spelled encyclopedia, though encyclopaedia from encyclopdia is also used in Britain. Characteristics. The modern encyclopedia was developed from the dictionary in the 1. Historically, both encyclopedias and dictionaries have been researched and written by well educated, well informed content experts, but they are significantly different in structure. A dictionary is a linguistic work which primarily focuses on alphabetical listing of words and their definitions. Synonymous words and those related by the subject matter are to be found scattered around the dictionary, giving no obvious place for in depth treatment. Thus, a dictionary typically provides limited information, analysis or background for the word defined. While it may offer a definition, it may leave the reader lacking in understanding the meaning, significance or limitations of a term, and how the term relates to a broader field of knowledge. An encyclopedia is, theoretically, not written in order to convince, although one of its goals is indeed to convince its reader of its own veracity. To address those needs, an encyclopedia article is typically not limited to simple definitions, and is not limited to defining an individual word, but provides a more extensive meaning for a subject or discipline. In addition to defining and listing synonymous terms for the topic, the article is able to treat the topics more extensive meaning in more depth and convey the most relevant accumulated knowledge on that subject. An encyclopedia article also often includes many maps and illustrations, as well as bibliography and statistics. Four major elements define an encyclopedia its subject matter, its scope, its method of organization, and its method of production Encyclopedias can be general, containing articles on topics in every field the English language Encyclopdia Britannica and German Brockhaus are well known examples. General encyclopedias may contain guides on how to do a variety of things, as well as embedded dictionaries and gazetteers. There are also encyclopedias that cover a wide variety of topics from a particular cultural, ethnic, or national perspective, such as the Great Soviet Encyclopedia or Encyclopaedia Judaica. Works of encyclopedic scope aim to convey the important accumulated knowledge for their subject domain, such as an encyclopedia of medicine, philosophy, or law. Works vary in the breadth of material and the depth of discussion, depending on the target audience. Some systematic method of organization is essential to making an encyclopedia usable for reference. There have historically been two main methods of organizing printed encyclopedias the alphabetical method consisting of a number of separate articles, organized in alphabetical order and organization by hierarchical categories. The former method is today the more common, especially for general works. The fluidity of electronic media, however, allows new possibilities for multiple methods of organization of the same content. Further, electronic media offer new capabilities for search, indexing and cross reference. The epigraph from Horace on the title page of the 1. Encyclopdie suggests the importance of the structure of an encyclopedia What grace may be added to commonplace matters by the power of order and connection. As modern multimedia and the information age have evolved, new methods have emerged for the collection, verification, summation, and presentation of information of all kinds. Projects such as Everything. Encarta, h. 2g. 2, and Wikipedia are examples of new forms of the encyclopedia as information retrieval becomes simpler. The method of production for an encyclopedia historically has been supported in both for profit and non profit contexts. The Great Soviet Encyclopedia mentioned above was entirely state sponsored, while the Britannica was supported as a for profit institution. By comparison, Wikipedia is supported by volunteers contributing in a non profit environment under the organization of the Wikimedia Foundation. Some works entitled dictionaries are actually similar to encyclopedias, especially those concerned with a particular field such as the Dictionary of the Middle Ages, the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, and Blacks Law Dictionary. Game Mad Man.