HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY
To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.
Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.
THE USAGE PANEL
The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.
AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP
The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG
The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more.
INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?
Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com
v. graft·ed, graft·ing, grafts v.tr. 1. a. To unite (a shoot or bud) with a growing plant by insertion or by placing in close contact. b. To join (a plant or plants) by such union. 2. To transplant or implant (living tissue, for example) surgically into a bodily part to replace a damaged part or compensate for a defect. 3. To join or unite closely: graft new customs onto old. v.intr. 1. To make a graft. 2. To be or become joined. n. 1. a. A detached shoot or bud united or to be united with a growing plant. b. The union or point of union of a detached shoot or bud with a growing plant by insertion or attachment. c. A plant produced by such union. 2. a. Material, especially living tissue or an organ, surgically attached to or inserted into a bodily part to replace a damaged part or compensate for a defect. b. The procedure of implanting or transplanting such material. c. The configuration or condition resulting from such a procedure. [Middle English graften, alteration of graffen, probably from Old French grafier, from graffe, stylus, graft (from its shape), from Latin graphium, stylus; see GRAFFITO. N., Middle English grafte, alteration of graffe, from Old French.] grafter n.  (click for a larger image) graft1 |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
