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
link 1  (lĭngk)
Share:
Tweet n. 1. One of the rings or loops forming a chain. 2. a. A unit in a connected series of units: links of sausage; one link in a molecular chain. b. A unit in a transportation or communications system. c. A connecting element; a tie or bond: grandparents, our link with the past. 3. a. An association; a relationship: The Alumnae Association is my link to the school's present administration. b. A causal, parallel, or reciprocal relationship; a correlation: Researchers have detected a link between smoking and heart disease. 4. A cufflink. 5. A unit of length used in surveying, equal to 0.01 chain, 7.92 inches, or about 20.12 centimeters. 6. A rod or lever transmitting motion in a machine. 7. Computers A graphical item or segment of text in a webpage or other electronic document that, when clicked, causes another webpage or section of the same webpage to be displayed: That newspaper's homepage includes links to numerous government resources. Also called hotlink, hyperlink. v. linked, link·ing, links v.tr. 1. a. To put together physically, as with links: linked the rings to form a chain. b. To connect, relate, or associate: linked the suspect to the crime. See Synonyms at join. 2. Computers a. To make or have a link to (another webpage or electronic document): The blog links important news stories from across the web. b. To make a link in (a webpage or electronic document): The teacher linked the class website to an online map. v.intr. 1. a. To be or become joined together physically: The molecules linked to form a polymer. b. To be or become connected, related, or associated: Their business has linked up with ours. 2. Computers a. To make or have a link to a webpage or electronic document: The shocking news story was linked to by many blogs. The article linked to photos of the damage. b. To follow a link in a webpage or electronic document: With a click of the mouse, I linked to the museum's website. [Middle English linke, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse hlekkr, *hlenkr, from *hlenkr.] linker n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
