The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition.
2000.
Usage Notes.
Usage Notes. The Usage Notes following many entries present important information and guidance on matters of grammar, diction, pronunciation, and registers and nuances of usage. For a detailed discussion of usage and our Usage Panel, see Geoffrey Nunberg's essay “Usage in The American Heritage Dictionary.”
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Many Notes, such as those at epicenter and factoid, contain opinions of the Usage Panel about the acceptability or conventionality of words, especially as used in formal Standard English contexts. Others, such as those at criterion and principal, are more explanatory in nature and do not refer to Panel opinions. Entries of words discussed in the Notes have cross-references to the entry at which the Note appears. If an entry that has a Note is discussed in a Note at another entry, the cross-reference to that entry is given immediately following the Usage Note.
