I have just run across a very useful language resource at http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/ which I think will be of interest to many visitors to this site.

Although the etymological information included is probably the weakest aspect of its content, and therefore is not a replacement for such sources as the online Merriam-Webster (http://www.m-w.com) or the OED (http://www.oed.com), it typically gives a great many examples of usage, including literary and biblical ones (where applicable), related image thumbnails, translations into other languages, statistical frequencies, rhymes, anagrams, synonyms, expressions using the headword, crossword-related links and suggestions for further reading.

I think the examples of usage in particular will be helpful to learners of English as a second or foreign language.

Erik, This IS a very good resource that I wasn’t aware of. Just for the heck of it I looked up Wandering Jew (not the plant), among several other items, and found more information then I was able to glean from the other sources I had checked including Encyclopedia Britannica. Thanks for the tip.

Ken – May 19, 2004