LibGuides: French: Find Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

Reference Resources

Dictionaries
Encyclopedias

Print English-French Dictionary Resources

The following language dictionaries can all be found on the 2nd (main) floor of the library. Search OneSearch to locate additional dictionaries, including some that are available to check out.

Oxford-Hachette French Dictionary
Call Number: PC2640 .O83 2007 (2nd floor reference collection)
Publication Date: 2007
Harrap's French and English College Dictionary
Call Number: PC2640 .H2725 2006 (2nd Floor Reference Collection)
Publication Date: c2006
English Grammar for Students of French
Call Number: PC2099 .M67 2013 (2nd Floor Reserve)
Publication Date: 2013

Online French-English Dictionary Resources

TLFi
TLFi is a French dictionary of the 19th and 20th centuries collecting over 100,000 words alongside their histories.
Outil de consultation du Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française
This is the official dictionary tool of the Academy of French.
Dictionnaire Electronique des Synonymes (DES)
DES is a French synonym dictionary.

Multiple Languages

WordReference
WordReference is one of the most-used online resources for bilingual dictionaries and language tools. Among others, WordReference has resources for French, Spanish, Italian, German, Swedish, Chinese, and Japanese language learning.
Collins Dictionary
"Collins online dictionary and reference resources draw on the wealth of reliable and authoritative information about language ... both in English and in other languages."

Collins provides tools for English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, Chinese, and Korean.

Print Reference Resources:

Tredway Library uses the Library of Congress (LOC) Classification system to organize our physical collection. Consider searching in the following sections of our reference collection, located on the 2nd (main) floor of the library. Remember that the following call numbers are helpful for this subject area:

PC's: French dictionaries and other language materials
PQ's: French literature
DC's: French history materials

Important note: reference books can't leave the library! You may photocopy some pages that are helpful, but the physical material can't be checked out the way that circulating books can. If you need to access reference books while you're outside the library, our electronic reference tools are very helpful.

French Online Reference Resources:

La Bibliographie Nationale Officielle Courante Française: the official Current French National Bibliography
Les Identifications Rétrospectives de Livres Français pour le 20è Siècle: the official 20th Century French National Bibliography
Gallica, la bibliothèque numérique de la Bibliothèque Nationale de France: the National French Digital Library
La Bibliothèque Nationale de France: the National Library of France
Québec Bibliothèque Nationale Resources en Ligne: The National Library of Quebec's recommended online resources and bibliographies

General eReference Databases:

Gale Virtual Reference Library
A vast collection of electronic reference books covering a wide variety of subject areas, Gale Virtual Reference Library is an excellent place to start your research.
Credo Reference
This is an online reference library that provides unlimited and remote simultaneous access to current, integrated, full-text content from a selection of over 200 reference books from 55 publishers with over 2 million entries. Credo includes encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri and books of quotations, a range of subject-specific titles covering everything from health to technology and science to law, not to mention the Bridgeman Art Library with over 16,000 art images.