Alright, here's my dictionary so far. I've worked to make it accurate as well as easily understandable. I have also worked hard not to use any form of the defined word in the definition itself because that always ticks me off. It is organized by part of speech because I chunk things in my brain, and that particular style of chunking (for some reason) made the most sense to me. I've been collecting these for the past five or six years. As of today (October 12, 2007), using two columns of size 10 Arial font with the margins pushed as thin as possible, this collection fills 70 pages. I decided that I couldn't care less about keeping track of pronunciation or of having regular example sentences. They would take up too much space anyway. I would have liked to have included some etymology, but that would have taken more effort than I'm willing to put forth, and more space too. In the end, I focused only on the definition itself, and I am happy with the results.

How did I find so many kick-ass words, you ask? Well, reading I got quite a few. I would jot down words I didn't recognize, look them up later, and add them to the collection. Also, I have had several word-a-day subscriptions online. Sometimes definitions I found were unclear or incomplete. Dictionaries I used to refine and clarify these entries can be found at this immensely helpful site (the best dictionary resource on the web, period): OneLook.com. Also consulted were WordSpy, The Phobia List, and various specialized printed sources. For etymology, I highly recommend WordOrigins and Etymonline. (Etymonline is more official, more scholarly, and more thorough, but Wordorigins is much more interesting and non-linguist-friendly.)

As for authority, I don't claim to have any. This was all for my personal benefit as an English major with an interest in linguistics and etymology, and a particular interest in clear, specific, carefully and creatively-worded writing. I trust my own judgment in word selection and definition accuracy, but that doesn't mean you should. If you spot any typos or incorrect entries, feel free to contact me. Even better, if you know of a cool word I've left out, let me know. I'll add it. (Provided, of course, that it is a real word.) Seriously, I would love suggestions. The subject matter, matters not. I can be contacted at tansa_menna@yahoo.com.

Thanks, and I hope you find these both helpful and interesting.

--Anna Matsen
Word Junkie and Guru :-)