Encyclopediac

/ˌɛnsaɪkləˈpiːdiæk/ adjective

Definition

Relating to or characteristic of an encyclopedia; encyclopedic in nature or scope (American English variant).

Etymology

American English spelling variant of encyclopaediac, dropping the 'a' after the 'e' following American standardization preferences established by Noah Webster in the early 1800s.

Kelly Says

The Great Spelling Divide between British 'encyclopaedia' and American 'encyclopedia' happened because Webster wanted to 'fix' what he saw as unnecessary vowels—essentially, he was doing linguistic minimalism.

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