encyclopedia
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encyclopedia
- /ɪnˌsaɪkləˈpiːdi.ə/ UK
- /ɪnˌsaɪkləˈpidi.ə/ US
- /ənˌsəɪkləˈpidi.ə/ Canada
Rhymes with -iːdiə
Where it comes from
Borrowed from New Latin encyclopēdīa, encyclopaedīa (“general education”), a univerbated form of Koine Greek ἐγκύκλιος παιδείᾱ (enkúklios paideíā, “education in the circle of arts and sciences”), from Ancient Greek ἐγκύκλιος (enkúklios, “circular”) + παιδείᾱ (paideíā, “childrearing; education”) (q.v.). Nearly all modern English usage of the word was influenced by the scope and format of the French Encyclopédie by Diderot et al. (see quotation).
noun encyclopedias · encyclopediae · encyclopediæ · encyclopaedia · encyclopædia
- A comprehensive reference work (often spanning several printed volumes) with articles (usually arranged in alphabetical order, or sometimes arranged by category) on a range of subjects, sometimes general, sometimes limited to a particular field. I only use the library for the encyclopedia, as we’ve got most other books here.
- Similarly comprehensive works in other formats. Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia that anyone can edit.
- The circle of arts and sciences (see Etymology); a comprehensive summary of knowledge, or of a branch thereof. His life's work is a four-volume encyclopedia of aviation topics.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: encyclopaedia, cyclopedia, cyclopaedia, dictionary, thesaurus, tome, spirit, enciclopedia, encyclopédie, compendium, lexicon, manual, almanac, reference, gazetteer, digest
Translations
Every language
noun comprehensive reference work with articles on a range of topics
| Español | enciclopedia |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 백과사전 baekgwasajeon, 백과전서 baekgwajeonseo |
| 日本語 | 百科事典 hyakkajiten, 百科全書 hyakkazensho |
| 中文 | 百科全書 /百科全书 bǎikēquánshū |
| हिन्दी | ज्ञानकोष jñānkoṣ, विश्वकोश viśvakoś, विश्वकोष viśvakoṣ, साइक्लोपीडिया sāiklopīḍiyā, इनसाइक्लोपीडिया insāiklopīḍiyā |
| Kiswahili | kamusi elezo, ensaiklopidia |
| Português | enciclopédia |
| Français | encyclopédie |
| Deutsch | Enzyklopädie, Lexikon, Konversationslexikon, Realencyclopädie, Realwörterbuch |
| Italiano | enciclopedia |
| Ελληνικά | εγκυκλοπαίδεια egkyklopaídeia |
| Română | enciclopedie |
| Русский | энциклопе́дия enciklopédija |
| Tiếng Việt | bách khoa toàn thư |
| العربية | مَوْسُوعَة mawsūʕa, دَائِرَة مَعَارِف dāʔirat maʕārif |
| עברית | אֶנְצִיקְלוֹפֶּדְיָה entsiklopédya |
Talk about this word "encyclopedia." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/encyclopedia. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. encyclopedia. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/encyclopedia "encyclopedia." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/encyclopedia.Cite this
@misc{encyclopedia_2026,
title = {encyclopedia},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/encyclopedia},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
