definitions

glossary

[ glos-uh-ree, glaw-suh- ]
/ ˈglɒs ə ri, ˈglɔ sə- /
|
SEE MORE 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.

RELATED CONTENT

IHYRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE
Did One Man Write The First Great English Dictionary All By Himself?We’d like to take a moment to celebrate the man behind A Dictionary of the English Language, the first definitive English dictionary, the famous Samuel Johnson.
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

vocabulary, dictionary, lexicon

Nearby words

glossa, glossae, glossal, glossalgia, glossarial, glossary, glossator, glossatorial, glossectomy, glossematics, glosseme

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
Related formsglos·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. 2019

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 Formsglossarial (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