zlacker

>>cosmoj+(OP)
The dictionaries the author starts with seem to be the concise dictionaries which are intended to be that way. I don't blame him since the full dictionaries (e.g. OED) are hidden behind paywalls but the full dictionaries are really, really good. The entry for "flash" in the OED for example contains literary examples of the kind the author seems to want, like "red the gaze that flashes desolation". The OED also includes several senses of the word and its etymology.

The OED costs $100/year for US residents or £100/year for everyone else [0] but you can often get access through a library. The San Francisco Public Library has a proxy you can use if you have a library card there [1].

[0]: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/oxford-english-dicti...

[1]: http://www.oed.com.ezproxy.sfpl.org

>>Youden+jc
I’m happy to see this comment here. The OED is a wonderful resource and, as mentioned, can often be accessed via a library membership. I just need to enter my Dublin library card number and I get full, free access.

Another great writing resource is etymonline.com, which gives a bare definition along with a full etymology drawn from different sources.