glossary

American  

[glos-uh-ree, glaw-suh-] / ˈglɒs ə ri, ˈglɔ sə- /

noun

plural

glossaries

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.

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glossary British  

/ ɡlɒˈsɛərɪəl, ˈɡlɒsərɪ /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• glossarial adjective
• glossarially adverb
• glossarist noun

Etymology

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. gloss ²

Explanation

A glossary is a dictionary of terms specific to a certain subject. A biology textbook might have a glossary in the back, so you can quickly look up all those technical words. Many fields of study use terms that are pretty much restricted to that field of study, so authors often supply a glossary to help people understand what they're talking about. The glossary is often found at the end of a book or article and is usually in alphabetical order. A glossary can also come at the end of a chapter or even in footnotes. If you're just joining the world of Dungeons and Dragons, I recommend you look over the glossary, so you can get a sense of what your fellow gamers are talking about.

Example Sentences

Mr. Naiden helpfully supplies a glossary and colorful maps.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

A glossary of technical terms is updated regularly with new entries.

From Barron's • Nov. 6, 2025

Here, you’ll find a glossary breaking down what all the ridiculous terms that get batted around when talking about crypto actually mean.

From Slate • Mar. 28, 2025

In his first confirmation hearing on Jan. 30, Patel denied that the roster of names was an enemies list, describing it as "just a glossary."

From Salon • Feb. 16, 2025

These are sometimes called Asiatic, Attic, and Rhodian: hence “Atticism” and “Asianism” in this book’s glossary.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

Related Words

• dictionary
• vocabulary