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.

guide to the dictionary

Hus·sein¹ or Hu·sain or Hu·sayn

(h-sān) 626-680.

The grandson of Muhammad and son of Fatima and Ali, revered by Shiites as the third imam.

Hus·sein² or Hu·sain or Hu·sayn

(h-sān) Full name King Hussein bin Talal. 1935-1999.

King of Jordan (1953-1999) who established a constitutional hereditary monarchy and espoused a moderate, generally pro-Western policy in the Middle East. He lost western Jordan to Israel in the Six-Day War (1967) but was later instrumental in negotiating the Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace (1994).

Hussein, Saddam 1937-2006.

Iraqi military and political leader who became president of Iraq in 1979. He waged war against Iran (1980-1988), and his invasion and occupation of Kuwait provoked the Gulf War (1990-1991). He was deposed in a US-led invasion of Iraq (2003), convicted of crimes against humanity, and executed.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

American Heritage Dictionary Products

HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

THE USAGE PANEL

AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG

INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

American Heritage Dictionary Products