dictionary


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dic·tion·ar·y

 (dĭk′shə-nĕr′ē)
n. pl. dic·tion·ar·ies
1. A reference work containing an alphabetical list of words, with information given for each word, usually including meaning, pronunciation, and etymology.
2. A reference work containing an alphabetical list of words in one language with their translations in another language.
3. A reference work containing an alphabetical list of words in a particular category or subject with specialized information about them: a medical dictionary.
4. A list of words stored in machine-readable form for reference, as by spelling-checking software.

[Medieval Latin dictiōnārium, from Latin dictiō, dictiōn-, diction; see diction.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

dictionary

(ˈdɪkʃənərɪ; -ʃənrɪ)
n, pl -aries
1. (Library Science & Bibliography)
a. a reference resource, in printed or electronic form, that consists of an alphabetical list of words with their meanings and parts of speech, and often a guide to accepted pronunciation and syllabification, irregular inflections of words, derived words of different parts of speech, and etymologies
b. a similar reference work giving equivalent words in two or more languages. Such dictionaries often consist of two or more parts, in each of which the alphabetical list is given in a different language: a German-English dictionary.
c. (as modifier): a dictionary definition. See also glossary, lexicon, thesaurus
2. (Library Science & Bibliography) a reference publication listing words or terms of a particular subject or activity, giving information about their meanings and other attributes: a dictionary of gardening.
3. (Library Science & Bibliography) a collection of information or examples with the entries alphabetically arranged: a dictionary of quotations.
[C16: from Medieval Latin dictiōnārium collection of words, from Late Latin dictiō word; see diction]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

dic•tion•ar•y

(ˈdɪk ʃəˌnɛr i)

n., pl. -ar•ies.
1. a book containing a selection of the words of a language, usu. arranged alphabetically, with information about their meanings, pronunciations, etymologies, inflected forms, etc., expressed in either the same or another language.
2. a book giving information on particular subjects or on a particular class of words, names, or facts, usu. arranged alphabetically: a biographical dictionary.
3. a list of words used by a word-processing program to check spellings in text.
[1520–30; < Medieval Latin dictiōnārium,dictiōnārius < Late Latin dictiōn- word (see diction)]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

dictionary

- Based on Latin dictio(n-), "mode of expression" or "word," then dictionarius, "a repertory of words or phrases."
See also related terms for mode.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.dictionary - a reference book containing an alphabetical list of words with information about themdictionary - a reference book containing an alphabetical list of words with information about them
dictionary entry, lexical entry - the entry in a dictionary of information about a word
wordbook - a reference book containing words (usually with their meanings)
bilingual dictionary - a dictionary giving equivalent words in two languages
collegiate dictionary, desk dictionary - an abridged dictionary of a size convenient to hold in the hand
etymological dictionary - a dictionary giving the historical origins of each word
gazetteer - a geographical dictionary (as at the back of an atlas)
learner's dictionary, school dictionary - a dictionary specially written for those learning a foreign language
little dictionary, pocket dictionary - a dictionary that is small enough to carry in your pocket
spell-checker, spelling checker - an electronic dictionary in a word processor that can be used to catch misspelled words
unabridged, unabridged dictionary - a dictionary that has not been shortened by the omitting terms or definitions; a comprehensive dictionary
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

dictionary

noun wordbook, vocabulary, glossary, encyclopedia, lexicon, concordance, word list, vocabulary list If you don't know what it means, look it up in the dictionary.
Quotations
"Dictionaries are like watches; the worst is better than none, and the best cannot be expected to go quite true" [Dr. Johnson]
"When I feel inclined to read poetry I take down my Dictionary. The poetry of words is quite as beautiful as that of sentences. The author may arrange the gems effectively, but their shape and lustre have been given by the attrition of the ages" [Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. The Autocrat's Autobiography]
"dictionary: a malevolent literary device for cramping the growth of a language and making it hard and inelastic. This dictionary, however, is a most useful work" [Ambrose Bierce The Devil's Dictionary]
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

dictionary

noun
An alphabetical list of words often defined or translated:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
woordeboek
قاموسقَامُوسكِتاب معلومات مُرَتَّبَةٌ أبْجَدِيّامعجم
речник
diccionari
slovník
ordboghåndbogleksikonopslagsbog
vortaro
sõnaraamatsõnastik
sanakirja
कोशशब्दकोश
rječnik
szótár
kamus
orðabókorîabókuppsláttarrit
辞書
사전
dictionarium
žodynas
vārdnīca
dicionárioarray associativo
dicţionar
slovník
slovar
ordboklexikon
พจนานุกรม
словник
từ điểntự điển

dictionary

[ˈdɪkʃənrɪ] Ndiccionario m
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

dictionary

[ˈdɪkʃənəri] ndictionnaire m
a dictionary of business English → un dictionnaire d'anglais commercialdictionary definition ndéfinition f donnée par le dictionnaire
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

dictionary

nWörterbuch nt
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

dictionary

[ˈdɪkʃnrɪ] nvocabolario, dizionario
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

dictionary

(ˈdikʃənəri) plural ˈdictionaries noun
1. a book containing the words of a language alphabetically arranged, with their meanings etc. This is an English dictionary.
2. a book containing other information alphabetically arranged. a dictionary of place-names.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

dictionary

قَامُوس slovník ordbog Wörterbuch λεξικό diccionario sanakirja dictionnaire rječnik dizionario 辞書 사전 woordenboek ordbok słownik dicionário словарь ordbok พจนานุกรม sözlük từ điển 词典
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in classic literature ?
Meanwhile, by an arrangement with leading booksellers, Johnson had entered on the largest, and, as it proved, the decisive, work of his life, the preparation of his 'Dictionary of the English Language.' The earliest mentionable English dictionary had appeared as far back as 1604,
One knew the whole Latin dictionary and also three years' issue of the daily paper of the town off by heart, so that he could repeat it all backwards or forwards as you pleased.
has given me a dictionary to look up all the hard words in.
The Devil's Dictionary was begun in a weekly paper in 1881, and was continued in a desultory way at long intervals until 1906.
We began to read Heine together when my vocabulary had to be dug almost word by word out of the dictionary, for the bookbinder's English was rather scanty at the best, and was not literary.
Now there is that troublesome word VERMA"HLT: to me it has so close a resemblance--either real or fancied--to three or four other words, that I never know whether it means despised, painted, suspected, or married; until I look in the dictionary, and then I find it means the latter.
Among the other books were a primer, some child's readers, numerous picture books, and a great dictionary. All of these he examined, but the pictures caught his fancy most, though the strange little bugs which covered the pages where there were no pictures excited his wonder and deepest thought.
Johnson's play was a failure, but by that time he had begun the great work which was to name him and single him out from the rest of the world as Dictionary Johnson.
Being commanded by her elder sister to get "the Dictionary" from the cupboard, Miss Jemima had extracted two copies of the book from the receptacle in question.
People have evidently been deceived by the dictionary. In America, all is easy, all is simple; and as for mechanical difficulties, they are overcome before they arise.
Noirtier's eye was fixed on the dictionary. "Yes, I understand, grandfather," said the young girl.
So the table was cleared, the cloth restored, and the three fell to work with Gradus and dictionary upon the morning's vulgus.