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

The word of the year from one dictionary is “vibe coding.”

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Ahead of his move, his mom would teach him 10 words from the dictionary each day to help him learn English, despite not knowing the language herself.

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His formulation might have the virtue of sending readers to the dictionary to learn a word from Greek mythology, but as a political categorization, it does not strike this observer as useful.

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The dictionary is Garner’s magnum opus, as essential to attorneys as Gray’s Anatomy is to physicians.

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Attorneys from both sides have turned to legal dictionaries to define the word “rebellion” in their favor, because the statute itself offers no clues.

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Related Words

• glossary 
• language 
• vocabulary