Over 170,000 entries/5,000 new definitions (since 1986 update), reflecting recent additions to the American vocabulary/Over 11,000 Americanisms-hundreds of them new. All identified with a (*) star/Easy-to-understand definitions with many examples of usage/The first general dictionary to explain the origins of American place names including cities, states, rivers and other geographic locations/Geographic and biographical entries incorporated into the main body of the book/Detailed etymologies based on contemporary language research, with more complete word histories than any other comparable dictionary/Easy-to-use pronunciation guides/Clear, easy-to-read type