glossary

[ glos-uh-ree, glaw-suh- ]

noun

, plural glos·sa·ries.

1. a list of terms in a special subject, field, or area of usage, with accompanying definitions.
2. such a list at the back of a book, explaining or defining difficult or unusual words and expressions used in the text.

glossary

/ ɡlɒˈsɛərɪəl; ˈɡlɒsərɪ /

noun

1. an alphabetical list of terms peculiar to a field of knowledge with definitions or explanations Sometimes calledgloss

Derived Forms

• glossarial, adjective
• glosˈsarially, adverb
• ˈglossarist, noun

Other Words From

• glos·sar·i·al [glo-, sair, -ee-, uh, l, glaw-], adjective
• glos·sari·al·ly adverb
• glossa·rist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of glossary¹

1350–1400; Middle English glossarye < Latin glōssarium difficult word requiring explanation < Greek glōssárion, diminutive of glôssa tongue, language; later taken as a collection of such words, by construing suffix as Latin -ārium -ary; gloss ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of glossary¹

C14: from Late Latin glossārium; see gloss ²

Example Sentences

A glossary of what all those strange phrases in classic Christmas songs really mean.

From The Daily Beast

The nine-page glossary in the back of the book is helpful, but only up to a point.

From The Daily Beast

The downside is that you may read in a perpetual state of glossary-checking and Goodreads-searching.

From The Daily Beast

The essential glossary here: “Molly” is a slang word for MDMA, a drug often used for date rape; “that” is the date raping.

From The Daily Beast

Plus, read an account of an escape from Scientology's Sea Org and a Scientology glossary.

From The Daily Beast

He prepared a glossary of provincial and archological words, intended for a supplement to Johnson's Dictionary.

From Project Gutenberg

It has a complete glossary of terms, and is illustrated with two hundred original drawings.

From Project Gutenberg

Except for yogh, h-stroke and paired , unusual letters appear only in the editorial material (introduction, notes and glossary).

From Project Gutenberg

The preceding examples give most of the more important weak verbs; others can be found in the Glossary.

From Project Gutenberg

Also, of the pronoun me; as in d m'endyte, G 32; see M' in the Glossary, p. 157.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• dictionary
• vocabulary