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

Col·lins¹

(kŏlĭnz), Michael 1890-1922.

Irish nationalist and Sinn Fein leader who served as Director of Intelligence for the Irish Republican Army during the War of Independence and was one of the Irish delegates who negotiated the treaty with Britain that led to the Irish Free State (1922). He was assassinated during the Irish Civil War in an ambush by antitreaty forces.

(click for a larger image)

Michael Collins¹

Col·lins²

(kŏlĭnz), Michael Born 1930.

American astronaut who as a crew member of Apollo 11 piloted the spacecraft during its historic mission to the moon (1969). He orbited the moon alone while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made the first manned lunar landing.

Collins, William 1721-1759.

British writer whose lyric poems such as "Ode to Evening" laid the stylistic and thematic groundwork for Romanticism.

Collins, (William) Wilkie 1824-1889.

British writer noted for his pioneering mystery novels, including The Woman in White (1860) and The Moonstone (1868).

Collins, William J. Known as "Billy." Born 1941.

American poet whose poems have appeared in collections such as Questions About Angels (1991) and The Art of Drowning (1995) and who served as US poet laureate (2001-2003).

col·lins

(kŏlənz)

A tall iced drink made with liquor, such as gin, carbonated water, sugar, and lemon or lime juice.

[Probably from the name Collins.]

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