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

Song also Sung

(sng)

A Chinese dynasty (960-1279). Its rule was marked by economic prosperity, technological innovation, and a flourishing of art and culture.

[Mandarin Sòng, named by its founder Zhao Kuangyin after Sòng, the medieval prefecture where the title of emperor was conferred upon him and where his army was located at the time (roughly the region around modern Shangqiu in Henan province), from Middle Chinese səwŋ`.]

song

(sông, sŏng)

1. Music

a. A brief composition written or adapted for singing.

b. The act or art of singing: broke into song.

2. A distinctive or characteristic sound made by an animal, such as a bird or an insect.

a. Poetry; verse.

b. A lyric poem or ballad.

Idiom:

for a song Informal

At a low price: bought the antique tray for a song.

[Middle English, from Old English sang; see seng^wh- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

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