First attested in 1824,encyclopedia +-ic.
 | This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with theIPA orenPR then please add some! |
encyclopedic (comparativemoreencyclopedic,superlativemostencyclopedic)
- Of or relating to the characteristics of anencyclopedia; concerning allsubjects, havingcomprehensiveinformation orknowledge.
- (lexicography) Relating to or containing descriptiveinformation rather than onlylinguistic orlexical information; aboutfacts andconcepts, and not only aword orterm; includingproper names,biographical andgeographical information andillustrations.
- 2001, Sidney I. Landau,Dictionaries: The Art and Craft of Lexicography, 2nd ed, Scribner:
- [p 151] Although separateencyclopedic sections have nothing to do with the dictionary proper, there are no compelling logical reasons for condemning them.
- [p 212] Terms derived from names fall into three categories. Some, likeChomskyan, refer to a person and the work done by that person, or to a place or a person from that place (Virginian, Londoner), and should be defined only in relation to the person or place. They are essentiallyencyclopedic entries and, if the dictionary contains an entry for the person or place in question, could well be run on without a separate definition.
- [p 359] The difficulty of distinguishing between lexical units and items in a nomenclature is especially nettlesome in specialized dictionaries, which are by their nature moreencyclopedic than general dictionaries.
2018, James Lambert, “Setting the Record Straight: An In-depth Examination ofHobson-Jobson”, inInternational Journal of Lexicography, volume31, number 4,→DOI, page490:Thus there are 3751 lexical items covered in total. Taking into account polysemy, there are 4315 separate senses. Of these, 1021 terms are proper nouns. Thus 23.7% of the lexis covered consists ofencyclopaedic material.
of or relating to comprehensiveness and other characteristics of an encyclopedia
- “encyclopedic dictionary” in R.R.K. Hartmann and Gregory James,Dictionary of Lexicography, Routledge, 1998.
- “encyclopedic information” in R.R.K. Hartmann and Gregory James,Dictionary of Lexicography, Routledge, 1998.
- “encyclopedic lexicography” in R.R.K. Hartmann and Gregory James,Dictionary of Lexicography, Routledge, 1998.
