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A Literature Research Guide: Define

English Dictionaries and Thesauri

From Oxford Online:

Selected English Language Reference

Oxford Literary Reference

Oxford Reference Online includes dictionaries concerning literature. A few of the titles in this collection:

Shakespeare Glossary

A glossary of words in Shakespeare's work with definitions reflecting the context of a particular play.

Historic English Dictionaries

A Dictionary of English Manuscript Terminology 1450-2000

The Glossarial Concordance to Middle English
This resource from Johns Hopkins University provides a key to Middle English words and traces their occurrence in Chaucer's work.
Middle English Dictionary
This resource from the University of Michigan offers analysis of words and phrases and their usage for the period 1100-1500. Includes a quotations database.