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Definition of biography noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
- Boswell’s biography of Johnson
- a biography by Antonia Fraser
- The book gives potted biographies of all the major painters.
- blockbuster
- unauthorized
- biography by
- biography of
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- The Dictionary of National Biography
- Dictionary of National Biography
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bi·og·ra·phy
Bi•og•ra•phy.
- Bandaranaike
- Beauharnais
- biographical
- biogenetic law
- biogenetics
- biogenic amine
- biogeochemical
- biogeochemistry
- biogeographer
- biogeographic
- biogeographical
- biogeographical region
- biogeography
- biographical intelligence
- biographize
- biohazard suit
- biohazardous
- bioidentical
- bioindustry
- bioinformatics
- bioinorganic
- bioinstrumentation
- bioleaching
- biolinguistics
- biologic attack
- biological agent
- biological ammunition
- biological attack
- biological clock
- biological computing
- biological control
- biological defence
- Biographical dictionary
- Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity
- Biographical Directory of the American Congress
- Biographical Encyclopedia of Science Fiction Film
- Biographical Etymology of Marine Organism Names
- Biographical Evaluation and Screening of Troops
- Biographical film
- Biographical Inventory
- Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society
- Biographical Method
- Biographical Questionnaire
- biographically
- biographicly
- biographies
- Biographies of Living Persons
- Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon
- biographise
- Biographize
- Biography and Autobiography
- Biography and Genealogy Master Index
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- Biography of Mahatma Gandhi
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Definition of 'biography'
biography in American English
Biography in british english, examples of 'biography' in a sentence biography, related word partners biography, trends of biography.
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- new biography
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biography noun
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What does the noun biography mean?
There are three meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun biography . See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
How common is the noun biography ?
How is the noun biography pronounced, british english, u.s. english, where does the noun biography come from.
Earliest known use
The earliest known use of the noun biography is in the mid 1600s.
OED's earliest evidence for biography is from 1661, in the writing of John Fell, bishop of Oxford.
biography is a borrowing from Latin.
Etymons: Latin biographia .
Nearby entries
- biognosy, n. 1880
- biograph, n. 1825–
- biograph, v. 1776–
- biographee, n. 1812–
- biographer, n. 1644–
- biographic, adj. 1752–
- biographical, adj. 1668–
- biographically, adv. ?1719–
- biographist, n. a1661–
- biographize, v. 1793–
- biography, n. 1661–
- biography, v. 1794–
- biographying, n. 1858–
- biohacker, n. 1988–
- biohacking, n. 1992–
- biohazard, n. 1965–
- biohazardous, adj. 1973–
- bioherm, n. 1928–
- biohermal, adj. 1937–
- bioidentical, adj. 1995–
- bioimaging, n. 1983–
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Meaning & use
Pronunciation, compounds & derived words, entry history for biography, n..
biography, n. was revised in November 2010.
biography, n. was last modified in July 2023.
oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:
- further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into biography, n. in July 2023.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1887)
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OED Second Edition (1989)
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Citation details
Factsheet for biography, n., browse entry.
- Harvard Library
- Research Guides
- Faculty of Arts & Sciences Libraries
Finding Biographical Information
Biographical dictionaries.
- Research Approaches
Biographical Dictionaries by Occupation
Biographical dictionaries by gender, biographical dictionaries by ethnicity, finding more biographical dictionaries.
- Book-length Biographies
- Periodical Articles/Obituaries
- Diaries/Autobiographies
- College/University Alumni/ae Biography
- Festschrifts
- Archival Sources
- Government Directories
- Local Histories
- Genealogical Sources
- Boston-Area Biography
- Asia, South & Central
- Asia, Southeast
- Australia/Pacific
- Europe: Regional & by Country, A-F
- Europe: H-N
- Europe: P-Z
- Mexico/Central America
- South America
- Russia/Central Asia
- Middle East
- North America/Canada
By no means all biographical dictionaries are covered by the resources listed in Resources of First Resort. More are listed on this page.
- Biograpical Dictionaries by Occupation
Authors including Literary Authors
Contemporary Authors includes over 116,000 living (or dying since early 1960s) literary and non-literary writers worldwide. Articles typically include short critical essay; brief personal information; list of author’s writings; critical writings about the author. New entries appear in Contemporary Authors (CA); revisions of CA entries appear in Contemporary Authors New Revision Series and the Permanent Series . HOLLIS Records In Gale In Context: Biography (Available to Massachusetts residents via the State Library of Massachusetts)
Dictionary of Literary Biography is a huge series of volumes offering biographical-critical essays on authors, including references for interviews, critical writings. Coverage is international, with emphasis on English and American. Lamont REF.ROOM PN451.D5 1978x (Lamont holds selected volumes.) Widener RR 3129 (Widener holds the complete set.) The DLB is indexed by name in the Literary Index Includes numerous volumes on essayists, travel writers, literary biographers, book collectors and bibliographers, major publishing forms, etc. as well as on literary authors.
American men of science; a biographical directory , 1906- . [title varies: American men & women of science, 1971- ]. HOLLIS Records Internet Archive Full Text (1905-1970) Internet Archive Full Text (1971-2009) Open Year on left to select your year)
Index to editions 1/14: Cabot Science Q141 .A471 1983 CUM. Index 1-14 Widener WID-LC Q141 .A474 (At beginning) Widener | S 120.15.5 (shelved before 14th ed.) Internet Archive Full Text Indexed by Biography and Genealogy Master Index (BGMI) from 12th ed. (1971/73) to present.
Complete Dictionary of scientific biography is the online version of the Dictionary of scientific biography and New Dictionary of Scientific Biography . Offers biographical articles on deceased scientists, including lists of primary and secondary literature. Volume 16 includes a general index and a list of scientists by field. Volumes 17 & 18 are supplements containing scientists left out of the main series and those dying between 1970 and 1981. New Dictionary of Scientific Biography contains new articles about scientists dying after 1950 and earlier figures omitted from the original Dictionary together with articles updating entries in the original. Unlike the original, psychology and anthropology are covered, with some sociology and economics. --For more recent sources use History of Science, Technology and Medicine . For new primary works (new editions, etc.) put your person in the author field. For new secondary works, put your person in the Subject field. --Scribner, C. 1980. Publishing the Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, v. 124, no. 5, pp. 320-322.
The following biographical dictionaries either are not included in BGMI or WBIS, or have features (occupational or other indexes) not accessible through these sources.
FemBio . Institute for Women's Biography Research Hannover/Boston, Luise F. Pusch Hannover, Germany --Some entries give substantial information; others are skeletal. Emphasis on European, especially German women. Full entries have source lists, web links, and often portraits and other photographs.
International who's who of women . London: Europa Publications Ltd., 1992- LOCATION: Widener: RR1505.30
Lesser-known women: a biographical dictionary , 1992. LOCATION: Widener: RR4761.21.5 --Includes over 800 living and deceased women arranged chronologically (1600-1991) by year of most significant achievement. Entries are keyed to about 600 numbered sources in a terminal bibliography. Indexes list biographees by name, country, and profession.
Notable American women . Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1971-2004. 5 v. LOCATION: Widener: RR 1711. 34 --Covers women deceased before 1999. Articles include extensive source lists giving particular attention to unpublished sources. Classified index (by field) in each vol. Vols. 1-4 indexed in Biography and genealogy master index. Full text in Women and Social Movements in the United States: 1600-2000
Oxford encyclopedia of women in world history , ed. by Bonnie G. Smith. Oxford; NY: Oxford University Press, 2008 4 v. LOCATION: Widener | RR 1701.60 --Both topical and biographical articles.
Palgrave Macmillan dictionary of women's biography . 4th ed. NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. LOCATION: WID-LC CT3202 .P26 2005 --Includes over 2100 women, living and deceased, from Antiquity to the present. Introductory nine-page survey of other biographical sources. A few entries are dropped with each new edition. Subject index by occupation or reason for prominence. 1st ed.: The International dictionary of women's biography, 1982.
Women in world history: a biographical encyclopedia , ed. by Anne Commire and Deborah Klezmer. Waterford, CT: Yorkin Publications, 1999-2002. 17 v. LOCATION: Widener | RR 1701.50 --Covers living and deceased women, from Antiquity to the present. Most articles have source lists, which include the location of personal papers. The last volume (v. 17) contains indexes by name with variant spellings, by occupation/experience, etc. Indexed in Biography and genealogy master index.
European immigrant women in the United States: a biographical dictionary , ed. by Judy Barrett Litoff, Judith McDonnell. New York : Garland Pub., 1994, 357 p. LOCATION: Widener | WID-LC | E184.E95 L58 1994 --Includes 239 biographies of deceased women who immigrated since the American Revolution. Each biography has a substantial source list, often giving archival sources. Biographee list by area of activity and a short name/topic index.
Jewish women in America: an historical encyclopedia , ed. by Paula E. Hyman and Deborah Dash Moore. NY: Routledge, 1997. 2 v. LOCATION: Widener | WID-LC | DS115.2 .J49 1997x --Long name/topic index and list of biographees by area of activity. Full text in World Biographical Information System.
Latinas in the United States: a historical encyclopedia , ed. by Vicki L. Ruiz and Virginia Sánchez Korrol. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2006. 3 v. LOCATION: Widener | WID-LC | E184.S75 L35 2006
Notable Black American women . Detroit: Gale Research, 1992-1996. LOCATION: Widener: RR4781.41.69 Library has: 2 v. --Includes around 1100 women (about half living) with birth dates 1686-1970. Each entry has a source list (which includes archival sources) and many have portraits. There is an "Area of endeavor" list and a detailed subject index in each volume. Indexed in Biography and genealogy master index and full text in Biography in Context
Biographical Indexes
Women in particular: an index to American women , by Kali Herman. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1984. LOCATION: Widener: RR 1501. 26 --Index to biographical articles on women in some 54 works of collective biography. Comprises five indexes: (1) Field and career index; (2) Religious affiliation index; (3) Ethnic and racial index; (4) Geographical index; and (5) Alphabetical index. Biographees are entered in as many of the first four sections (and subsections) as are applicable, with full information (name, dates, occupation or field of activity, places of residence, religion, ethnicity, and references to biographical sources) repeated at each entry. The alphabetical (biographee) index lists all the entries in the other four indexes.
Subject guide to women of the world , by Katharine Joan Phenix. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 1996, 516 p. Location : Widener RR 1501.24.5 --Provides topical and geographical indexes to Index to women of the world from ancient to modern times; biographies and portraits (Widener: RR 1501) which provides references to biographical sketches which appear in 945 collective biographies and which is itself indexed by name in Biography and Genealogy Master Index.
African American national biography , ed. by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Evelyn Brooks-Higginbotham. NY: Oxford University Press, 2013, 12 v. Andover-Harv. Theol | Ref. | E185.96 .A4466 2008 (1st ed.) Lamont | REFERENCE | E185.96 .A4466 2008 (1st ed.) Widener RR 4781.60 (2nd ed.; 2013) Online version (Continuously updated)
Contemporary Black biography . Vol. 1- Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1992- LOCATION: Widener: RR 4781.41.59 Substantial articles (two to six pages), with source references. Each volume has about 70 articles. Many entries have photographs or interviews. Covers primarily (but not exclusively) living persons; about 80% are Americans. Indexed by nationality, occupation, subject, and name. Indexed in Biography and genealogy master index
African-American Biographical Database is an online collection of about 300 full-text biographical dictionaries. Also available as a microfiche set, with printed index, in Widener's Reference Room (as Black Biographical Dictionaries 1790-1950 ).
Notable Asian Americans , ed by Helen Zia and Susan B. Gall. New York : Gale Research, 1995, 468 p. HOLLIS Record
Distinguished Asian Americans: a biographical dictionary , ed. by Hyung-chan Kim. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999, 430 p. HOLLIS Record
Who's who among Asian Americans . Detroit : Gale Research Inc., 1994. 1 v. HOLLIS Record
Asian and Pacific Islander Americans , ed. by Gary Y. Okihiro. Ispwich, Mass.: Salem Press, 2013. 3 v. HOLLIS Record
Native American biographies (North American Indian Thought and Culture)
Find unindexed works of collective biography in your subject area by searching the HOLLIS Catalog and WorldCat , a collective catalog of thousands of libraries. Very specialized and very recent collective biographies are least likely to be indexed.
To find biographical dictionaries and who's whos, attach the words Biography AND (Dictionaries OR Encyclopedias OR "bio-bibliographies") to your search term, thus:
Physicians AND Biography AND (Dictionaries OR Encyclopedias OR "Bio-bibliography")
Some collective biographical works, especially those including a small number of persons, carry the term Biography only. These can only be found by browsing through the whole (and large) Physicians Biography set
Records for who's whos sometimes, but by no means consistently, bear the subdivisions Directories or Periodicals.
When you have found a likely collective biography, check the lists of indexed sources in Biography and Genealogy Master Index (Sources Indexed) and do a Bibliographical search in the World Biographical Information System (WBIS) . Although many biographical dictionaries are available full text in WBIS, the print versions often contain vocational/geographical indexes and other features not available through WBIS.
Subject dictionaries and encyclopedias, although not purely biographical, often include biographical articles
Example: History of physical anthropology : an encyclopedia / edited by Frank Spencer. Subject: Physical anthropology Encyclopedias.
Search for them in HOLLIS+: anthropology AND (encyclopedias OR dictionaries)
Bibliographies of Collective Biography
The following sources list biographical dictionaries by subject:
Biographical dictionaries and related works: an international bibliography of more than 16,000 collective biographies ..., by Robert B. Slocum, 2nd ed. Detroit, Mich.: Gale Research Co., 1986. LOCATION: Law School: Special Coll Ref CT 104.S55x 1986 LOCATION: Widener: RR 1501. 13.2 Library has: 2 v. --Thorough and conveniently arranged, by geography and profession, bibliography of pre-1986 biographical dictionaries.
Guide to reference in genealogy and biography , ed. by Mary K. Mannix, Fred Burchsted, and Jo Bell Whitlatch. Chicago: ALA Editions, an imprint of the American Library Association, 2015, 372 pages. HOLLIS Record Biographical section arranged by continent and country.
ARBA guide to biographical dictionaries . Littleton, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited, 1986. LOCATION: Widener: WID-LC CT103.Z99 A73 x, 1986 --Continued by ARBA guide to biographical resources, 1986-1997 . Englewood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited, 1998. LOCATION: Widener: RR 1501.13.6
Bibliographie analytique des biographies collectives imprimées de la France contemporaine, 1789-1985 , by Alfred Fierro. Geneve: Slatkine, 1986. LOCATION: Andover-Harv. Theol: Ref. Z2170.F45 1986 LOCATION: Widener: RR 1771.30 --Sources arranged by profession.
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biographical
Definition of biographical
Examples of biographical in a sentence.
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'biographical.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
1714, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near biographical
biographize
Cite this Entry
“Biographical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biographical. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
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biography: [noun] a usually written history of a person's life.
BIOGRAPHY definition: 1. the life story of a person written by someone else: 2. the life story of a person written by…. Learn more.
Biography definition: a written account of another person's life. See examples of BIOGRAPHY used in a sentence.
biography: 1 n an account of the series of events making up a person's life Synonyms: life , life history , life story Examples: Parallel Lives a collection of biographies of famous pairs of Greeks and Romans written by Plutarch; used by Shakespeare in writing some of his plays Types: show 4 types... hide 4 types... autobiography a biography ...
Definition of biography noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
Define biography. biography synonyms, biography pronunciation, biography translation, English dictionary definition of biography. n. pl. bi·og·ra·phies 1. An account of a person's life written, composed, or produced by another: a film biography of Adlai Stevenson; an oral biography.
2 meanings: 1. an account of a person's life by another 2. such accounts collectively.... Click for more definitions.
BIOGRAPHY meaning: 1. the story of a person's life written by another person 2. about someone's life: . Learn more.
Biography. A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curriculum vitae ( résumé ), a biography presents a subject's life story, highlighting various ...
Biography definition: a written account of another person's life. See examples of BIOGRAPHY used in a sentence.
Biography definition: An account of a person's life written, composed, or produced by another.
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Related topics: Newspapers, printing, publishing, History, Literature biography bi‧og‧ra‧phy / baɪˈɒɡrəfi $ -ˈɑːɡ-/ noun (plural biographies) 1 [countable] TCN SH a book that tells what has happened in someone's life, written by someone else biography of Boswell's biography of ...
BIOGRAPHY meaning: 1. the life story of a person written by someone else: 2. the life story of a person written by…. Learn more.
demagogue. See Definitions and Examples ». Browse notable people of the past and present from Hank AARON to Vladimir ZWORYKIN.
biography, form of literature, commonly considered nonfictional, the subject of which is the life of an individual.One of the oldest forms of literary expression, it seeks to re-create in words the life of a human being—as understood from the historical or personal perspective of the author—by drawing upon all available evidence, including that retained in memory as well as written, oral ...
biography. (baɪɒgrəfi ) Word forms: biographies plural. 1. countable noun. A biography of someone is an account of their life, written by someone else. ...recent biographies of Stalin. 2. uncountable noun. Biography is the branch of literature which deals with accounts of people's lives. ...a volume of biography and criticism.
biography (noun) biography /baɪ ˈ ɑːgrəfi/ noun. plural biographies. Britannica Dictionary definition of BIOGRAPHY. [count] : the story of a real person's life written by someone other than that person. a new biography of Abraham Lincoln. — compare autobiography.
Where does the noun biography come from? The earliest known use of the noun biography is in the mid 1600s. OED's earliest evidence for biography is from 1661, in the writing of John Fell, bishop of Oxford. biography is a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: Latin biographia.
Complete Dictionary of scientific biography is the online version of the Dictionary of scientific biography and New Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Offers biographical articles on deceased scientists, including lists of primary and secondary literature. Volume 16 includes a general index and a list of scientists by field.
The meaning of BIO is a biography or biographical sketch. How to use bio in a sentence.
A biographical dictionary is a type of encyclopedic dictionary limited to biographical information. Many attempt to cover the major personalities of a country (with limitations, such as living persons only, in Who's Who, or deceased people only, in the Dictionary of National Biography).Others are specialized, in that they cover important names in a subject field, such as architecture or ...
BIOGRAPHY definition: 1. the story of a person's life written by another person 2. about someone's life: . Learn more.
biographical: [adjective] of, relating to, or constituting biography.