This new 8th ed edition has more than 43,000 definitions, plus almost 3,000 quotations. Alternative spellings or equivalent terms and expressions are provided for more than 5,300 terms and senses, serving a thesaurus-like function.

The extensive appendix on legal abbreviations is a major addition. It's the first time such a comprehensive guide has been included in a modern law dictionary, and is an invaluable aid to the legal researcher. Some of the new terms appearing for the first time include:-

• "Amber Alert,"
• "antispamming law,"
• "Child Online Protection Act,"
• "cyberpiracy,"
• "cyberterrorism," "
• chad,"
• "repressed-memory syndrome,"
• "ethnic cleansing,"
• "Strategic National Stockpile,"
• and "grandparent rights."

The new edition features 17,000 more definitions than the 7th Edition and almost 3,000 quotations from authorities drawn from sources over at least five centuries. It has an extensive appendix on legal abbreviations and includes changes made since the creation of the department of Homeland Security with more than 1,000 law-related abbreviations and acronyms defined.