ENCYCLOPE'DY, noun [Gr. in, a circle, and instruction; instruction in a circle, or circle of instruction.] The circle of sciences; a general system of instruction or knowledge. More particularly, a collection of the principal facts, principles and discoveries, in all branches of science and the arts, digested under proper titles and arranged in alphabetical order; as the French Encyclopedia; the Encyclopedia Britannica.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI