thesaurus

[ thi-sawr-uhs ]

noun

, plural the·sau·rus·es, the·sau·ri [-, sawr, -ahy].

1. a dictionary of synonyms and antonyms, such as the online Thesaurus.com.
2. any dictionary, encyclopedia, or other comprehensive reference book.
3. a storehouse, repository, or treasury.
4. Computers.
   1. an index to information stored in a computer, consisting of a comprehensive list of subjects concerning which information may be retrieved by using the proper key terms.
   2. a dictionary of synonyms and antonyms stored in memory for use in word processing.

thesaurus

/ θɪˈsɔːrəs /

noun

1. a book containing systematized lists of synonyms and related words
2. a dictionary of selected words or topics
3. rare.
   a treasury

Word History and Origins

Origin of thesaurus¹

First recorded in 1730–40; from Latin thēsaurus, from Greek thēsaurós “treasure, treasury”

Word History and Origins

Origin of thesaurus¹

C18: from Latin, Greek: treasure

Example Sentences

Had Palin scoured a thesaurus, she could not have come up with a more inflammatory phrase.

From The Daily Beast

Hickes' transcript of the Calendar (Thesaurus, I, 203) shows an average of one error in every six lines.

From Project Gutenberg

Thus the ancient Runic inscriptions, as we gather from Hickes's Thesaurus, are in the form of a knot.

From Project Gutenberg

The new thought of a treasury of merits (thesaurus meritorum) introduced further changes.

From Project Gutenberg

The work, however, on which his fame as a scholar is most surely based is the Thesaurus Graecae linguae.

From Project Gutenberg

John Starke himself, with his Thesaurus of Horror, never penned anything so deliciously frightful.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• reference book