I've been a fan of dictionary.com for quite a while now - they've had every word I've ever needed to look up - and it's always been free. A while ago, they started offering a pay service with audio pronounciations of words and a few other nice extras. Of course, I really didn't need any of those extra features, so I never subscribed - all I really needed were definitions from time to time. But today, I ran across a word that they refused to define unless I subscribed. Now that's going a bit far. I've got no problem with sites charging for extras, but charging for stuff that used to be free is a shame. I realize it's hard to make money on the Internet, but the definitions on dictionary.com have always been free, and by offering such a service, they have built up a large usergroup...now that they are charging for definitions, I've got to look elsewhere for my dictionary needs.

URL: Dictionary.com/episteme