Those who have visual learners will want to check out Merriam-Webster’s new Visual Dictionary Online. which users to search by choosing icons related to 15 themes or search using a word. There are sub-catagories under each theme. Rather than offering a text-based definition, each entry offers a detailed diagram of the term.

For example, my searched for “butterfly” yielded three entries about the insect and one about swimming techniques. I selected “morphology of a butterfly” and received a annotated diagram in which I could click on each part and read a definition. There is an audio link that prounounces each word.  (This is a helpful feature, but I was disappointed that the entire definition was not read aloud.)

Currently, 6,000 terms are indexed.  This will likely assist teachers needing diagrams and students doing research.  The site does have many advertisements, which may distract some students and could be improved by adding more audio support. Still,  Visual Dictionary Online is worth adding to your bookmarks.