LibGuides: New York Civil Practice: Selected Resources: Reference Materials

Dictionaries

In a law library catalog, dictionaries can be found by conducting a subject search for "dictionaries." This can be narrowed to identify law dictionaries, medical dictionaries, etc., by adding these terms to your search (i.e., law dictionaries as your subject search).

Black's Law Dictionary 11th Edition, Deluxe Hardcover by Bryan A. Garner (Editor)
Call Number: KF156 .B53 2019
Publication Date: 11th ed. 2019
Black's Law Dictionary (current through the 11th ed. 2019) can also be found on Westlaw. The database identifier is BLACKS. To search Black's Law Dictionary on Westlaw, click on the link below.
Black's Law Dictionary
Prince's Bieber Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations, A Reference Guide for Attorneys, Legal Secretaries, Paralegals, and Law Students by Mary Miles Prince
Call Number: KF245 .B543 2009
Publication Date: 6th ed. 2009
Prince's Dictionary of Legal Citations: A Reference Guide for Attorneys, Legal Secretaries, Paralegals, and Law Students by Julia Roberts Furgerson & Mary Miles Prince
Call Number: KF245 .B54 2021
Publication Date: 2021

Online Legal Dictionaries

One Look
Tip: Enter the term “law” in the search box, “Search Titles and Descriptions Only” to retrieve a list of legal dictionaries.
Wex
Wex is a free legal dictionary and encyclopedia sponsored and hosted by the Legal Information Institute at the Cornell Law School.

Legal Encyclopedias

Legal encyclopedias are good starting points for the novice researcher or a researcher unfamiliar with an area of law, because they succinctly discuss and analyze legal doctrine, and cite to controlling statutes and/or leading cases. Legal encyclopedias give a researcher a broad overview of an area of law and familiarize him/her with that area's "terms of art."

American Jurisprudence 2d: A Modern Comprehensive Text Statement of American Law, State and Federal
Call Number: KF154.A42
American Jurisprudence 2d can also be found online at Westlaw and Lexis.

On Westlaw, the database identifier is AMJUR. To search American Jurisprudence 2d on Westlaw click on the link below.
American Jurisprudence 2d

On Lexis+, type the title, American Jurisprudence, in the main search bar. Select the source from the word wheel to search it directly or select the table of contents to browse. For direct access to American Jurisprudence on Lexis Advance, click on the link below. American Jurisprudence 2d
American Law Reports 2d, 3d, 4th, 5th, 6th, Fed, Fed 2d
Call Number: KF132.6 .L38 1992
American Law Reports Annotations provide a general overview of an area of law nation-wide, summarizing cases in a majority of jurisdictions. The annotations tend to be more detailed than a typical legal encyclopedia entry. American Law Reports can be accessed online via both Westlaw and Lexis+.

The database identifier for Westlaw is ALR. To search American Law Reports on Westlaw, click on the link below.
American Law Reports

On Lexis+, type the title, American Law Reports, into the main search bar and select the source from the word wheel to search it directly. For direct access to American Law Reports on Lexis+, click on the link below. American Law Reports
New York Jurisprudence 2d
Call Number: KFN5065 .N48 1979
New York Jurisprudence 2d is a New York specific legal encyclopedia. It can also be found online on both Westlaw and Lexis+.

On Westlaw, the database identifier is NYJUR. To search New York Jurisprudence 2d on Westlaw click on the link below.
New York Jurisprudence

On Lexis+, type the title, New York Jurisprudence, into the main search bar, and select the source from the word wheel to search it directly. Or click on the table of contents to browse the source. To access the source directly on Lexis+, click on the link below. New York Jurisprudence