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
n. pl. en·er·gies 1. The capacity for work or vigorous activity: Who has the energy to climb that trail? See Synonyms at strength. 2. a. also energies Exertion of vigor or power: a project requiring a great deal of time and energy; devoted her energies to writing songs. b. Vitality and intensity of expression: a speech delivered with energy and emotion. c. Informal A nonphysical force or quality perceived as inhering in a particular place, person, or situation: was turned off by the group's negative energy. 3. a. Usable heat or power: Each year Americans consume a high percentage of the world's energy. b. A source of usable power, such as petroleum or coal. 4. Physics a. The capacity of a physical system to do work. b. A form, amount, or level of this capacity: "a searing beam of 30 trillion protons, with energies up to 50 million electronvolts" (Science News). [French énergie, from Late Latin energīa, from Greek energeia, from energos, active : en-, in, at; see EN-2 + ergon, work; see werg- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
