1.
encyclopedia; comprehensive reference work
a reference work containing articles on various subjects or specialized fields
百科事典で調べた。
I looked it up in an encyclopedia.
ウィキペディアはオンライン百科事典だ。
Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia.
子供向けの百科事典を買った。
I bought an encyclopedia for children.
百科 literally means 'hundred subjects' — 百 (hundred) + 科 (branch/subject). It refers to comprehensive, wide-ranging knowledge.
COMMON COMPOUNDS:
- 百科事典: encyclopedia (the standard compound)
- 百科全書: comprehensive encyclopedia/compendium
- 大百科: great encyclopedia
USAGE:
百科 rarely appears alone — it almost always appears in the compound 百科事典. Note: the kanji 事典 (reference work) is different from 辞典 (dictionary), though both are read じてん.
NOTABLE ENCYCLOPEDIAS:
- 世界大百科事典: World Encyclopedia
- ブリタニカ百科事典: Encyclopædia Britannica