Test
Your
Word IQ! Play Now

glossary

[ glos-uh-ree, glaw-suh- ]
/ ˈglɒs ə ri, ˈglɔ sə- /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR glossary ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural glos·sa·ries.

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

Words related to glossary

vocabulary, dictionary, lexicon

Words nearby glossary

gloss paint, gloss., glossa, glossal, glossalgia, glossary, glossator, glossectomy, glossematics, glosseme, glosser

Origin of glossary

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; cf. gloss2

OTHER WORDS FROM glossary

glos·sar·i·al [glo-sair-ee-uh l, glaw-] /glɒˈsɛər i əl, glɔ-/, adjectiveglos·sar·i·al·ly, adverbglos·sa·rist, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for glossary

British Dictionary definitions for glossary

glossary
/ (ˈɡlɒsərɪ) /

noun plural -ries

an alphabetical list of terms peculiar to a field of knowledge with definitions or explanationsSometimes called: gloss

Derived forms of glossary

glossarial (ɡlɒˈsɛərɪəl), adjectiveglossarially, adverbglossarist, noun

Word Origin for glossary

C14: from Late Latin glossārium; see gloss ²
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012