dictionary

[dik-shuh-ner-ee]

noun

plural

dictionaries 

1. a book or digital resource (such as Dictionary.com) containing a selection of words and information about their meanings, pronunciations, etymologies, inflected forms, derived forms, etc., in either the same or another language; lexicon; glossary.

   an unabridged dictionary of English;

   a Japanese–English dictionary.

2. a book or digital resource giving information on a particular subject or on a particular class of words, names, or facts, usually arranged alphabetically.

   a biographical dictionary;

   a dictionary of mathematics.

3. Computers.

   1. a list of codes, terms, keys, etc., and their meanings, used by a computer program or system.

   2. a selection of words used by a piece of software, such as a word-processing program, to check the spelling of text entered.

dictionary

/ ˈdɪkʃənərɪ, -ʃənrɪ /

noun

1. 1. 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

   2. 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

   3. ( as modifier ) See also glossary lexicon thesaurus

      a dictionary definition

2. 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. a collection of information or examples with the entries alphabetically arranged

   a dictionary of quotations

Word History and Origins

Origin of dictionary¹

First recorded in 1570–80; from Medieval Latin dictiōnārium, dictiōnārius, from Late Latin dictiōn- stem of dictiō “word” + -ārium, -ārius adjective and noun suffix; diction ( def. ), -ary ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of dictionary¹

C16: from Medieval Latin dictiōnārium collection of words, from Late Latin dictiō word; see _diction

Example Sentences

“I always say ‘tariffs’ is the most beautiful word to me in the dictionary,” he said at a rally after his inauguration in January.

From Los Angeles Times

Doomscrolling, a word that can now be found in the dictionary, is the act of endlessly consuming news and content that heightens feelings of anxiety, sadness, or anger.

From Salon

Skibidi is defined in the dictionary as "a word that can have different meanings such as 'cool' or 'bad', or can be used with no real meaning as a joke".

From BBC

The Lynx erased “deficit” from their dictionary — and just about everything from the Sparks’ playbook.

From Los Angeles Times

Some of the words date back to the 1700s and already feature in Scots language dictionaries.

From BBC

Related Words

• glossary 
• language 
• vocabulary