noun
a reference work (often in several volumes) containing articles on various topics (often arranged in alphabetical order) dealing with the entire range of human knowledge or with some particular specialty
• Syn: ↑encyclopedia, ↑encyclopaedia, ↑cyclopaedia
• Hypernyms: ↑reference book, ↑reference, ↑reference work, ↑book of facts
• Hyponyms: ↑book of knowledge
Useful english dictionary. 2012.