"A Dictionary of Biology"

"A Dictionary of Biology" is an up-to-date reference work that explains several thousand specialized words, allowing for empirical approaches to the biological sciences. It includes more than bare definitions, providing information about most of the terms to convey their significance in biological discussion.

M. Abercrombie, C. J. Hickman, and M. L. Johnson interpret this language as it is actually used, emphasizing customary usage rather than etymology. This comprehensive lexicon includes two thousand entries. Many unfamiliar terms, especially the rarer ones, are defined with the help of other technical terms, perhaps equally unfamiliar.

This approach could only be avoided by giving a complete account of a large part of biology under each heading. Every biological technical term used in a definition is itself defined elsewhere in the dictionary; though some semi-technical terms, words that can be found in any English dictionary, are omitted.

The authors use codes throughout the dictionary to help the reader interpret the use of a word, such as whether it is used in relation to plants and animals only, whether the word is an adjective, and when a term is defined elsewhere and adds information to the current definition. The result is an invaluable guide for the layman, the student, and the scholar alike. It presents clear and authoritative explanations of the terms and will remain useful as a quick and concise source of reference.