ENCYCLOPEDIA

[en.cy.clo.pe.dia] also en.cy.clo.pae.dia n [ML encyclopaedia course of general education, fr. Gk enkyklios + paideia education, child rearing, fr. paid-, pais child--more at few] (1644): a work that contains information on all branches of knowledge or treats comprehensively a particular branch of knowledge usu. in articles arranged alphabetically often by subject