EncyclopediaFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaThis article is about the type of reference work. For other uses, see .Title page of "Lucubrationes..." 1541 edition, one of the first books to use a variant of the word encyclopediain the title
An encyclopedia or encyclopædia is a or providing summaries of from either all branches or from a particular field or discipline.Encyclopedias are divided into or entries that are often arranged by article name and sometimes by thematic categories. Encyclopedia entries are longer and more detailed than those in most . Generally speaking, unlike dictionary entries—which focus on information about , such as their , meaning, pronunciation, use, and grammatical forms—encyclopedia articles focus on information concerning the subject named in the article's title.
Encyclopedias have existed for around 2,000 years and have evolved considerably during that time as regards language (written in a major international or a vernacular language), size (few or many volumes), intent (presentation of a global or a limited range of knowledge), cultural perceptions (authoritative, ideological, didactic, utilitarian), authorship (qualifications, style), readership (education level, background, interests, capabilities), and the technologies available for their production and distribution (hand-written manuscripts, small or large print runs, internet production). As a valued source of reliable information compiled by experts, printed versions found a prominent place in libraries, schools and other educational institutions.
The appearance of in the 20th century has vastly expanded the accessibility, authorship, readership, and variety of encyclopedia entries and called into question the idea of what an encyclopedia is[] and the relevance of applying to such dynamic productions the traditional criteria for assembling and evaluating print encyclopedias.[]
ContentsEtymologyIndeed, the purpose of an encyclopedia is to collect knowledge disseminated around the globe; to set forth its general system to the men with whom we live, and transmit it to those who will come after us, so that the work of preceding centuries will not become useless to the centuries to come; and so that our offspring, becoming better instructed, will at the same time become more virtuous and happy, and that we should not die without having rendered a service to the human race in the future years to come.Two Greek words misunderstood as one
The word comes from the ἐγκύκλιος παιδεία, transliterated enkyklios paideia, meaning "general education" from enkyklios (ἐγκύκλιος), meaning "circular, recurrent, required regularly, general" and (παιδεία), meaning "education, rearing of a child"; together, the phrase literally translates as "complete instruction" or "complete knowledge". However, the two separate words were reduced to a single word due to a scribal error by copyists of a manuscript edition of in 1470. The copyists took this phrase to be a single Greek word, enkyklopaidia, with the same meaning, and this spurious Greek word became the word "encyclopaedia", which in turn came into English. Because of this compounded word, fifteenth century readers and since have often, and incorrectly, thought that the Roman authors and described an ancient genre.
Sixteenth century usage of the compounded wordTitle page of Encyclopaediæ, seu orbis disciplinarum, tam sacrarum quam prophanarum, epistemon from 1559, first clear use of the word encyclopaedia in the title.
In the there was a level of ambiguity as to how to use this new word. As several titles illustrate, there was not a settled notion about its spelling nor its status as a noun. For example: Jacobus Philomusus's Margarita philosophica encyclopaediam exhibens (1508); 's Encyclopedia orbisque doctrinarum, hoc est omnium artium, scientiarum, ipsius philosophiae index ac divisio; 's Lucubrationes vel potius absolutissima kyklopaideia (1538, 1541); 's (1559); 's Margarita philosophica (1503, retitled Encyclopaedia in 1583); and 's Cyclopaedia Paracelsica (1585).
