Authoritative dictionary
♫ February 26th, 2009 9:53 amAn authoritative dictionary will include detailed definitions of most words in the language. They can contain up to 20 volumes. Since the vocabulary differs according to the region, the dictionary to be used will be different. For example, the Oxford Dictionary is the authoritative dictionary for the United Kingdom.
In the United States
Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged (published by Merriam Webster)
(or “Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary”)
American Heritage
Online dictionaries are also available, but they may not be very comprehensive. However, every spoken language changes over a period of time, so some rarely used words may drop out and new words may crop up.