This dictionary has been written during my thirtieth year of work in the field of biomaterials. During this time the science and clinical applications have grown and expanded beyond recognition. So too has the language, and it is the fact that the terminology has often strayed beyond recognition that has been the motivation to produce The Williams Dictionary of Biomaterials. Although I have called upon the language and definitions of others during its preparation, each of the 6,000 terms included have been subjected to close, individual scrutiny, and I have attempted to produce a consistent style and rationale throughout. The responsibility for the inclusion and exclusion of terms, for the definitions given and for the notes of explanation is mine and mine alone.

To decide what to include in a dictionary and come up with some definitions and explanatory notes is one thing. To translate those thoughts into a publishable dictionary is quite another. This immense task has been undertaken by Peggy O'Donnell, of O'Donnell & Associates in Brussels. This has involved the establishment and maintenance of a customised database, the checking of each term for consistency and accuracy, translation of the database into appropriately formatted electronic files for publication and endless proofing at each stage in the compilation. Without her dedication to these tasks, and profound efficiency and professionalism, this dictionary would never have emerged.

This dictionary is published by the Press of the University of Liverpool, the University in which I have spent these thirty years working in biomaterials science.