dictionary
Meanings
noun
- A reference work listing words or names from one or more languages, usually ordered alphabetically, explaining each word's meanings or senses, oftentimes also containing information on its etymology, pronunciation, usage, semantic relations, translations, as well as other relevant information.
- A reference work on a particular subject or activity in which the entries are arranged alphabetically; an alphabetical encyclopedia.
- A person or thing regarded as a repository or compendium of information.
- The collection of words used or understood by a particular person; vocabulary.
- A synchronic dictionary of a standardised language held to only contain words that are properly part of the language.
- An associative array, or a data structure where each value is referenced by a particular key, analogous to words and definitions in a dictionary (noun sense 1).
verb
- To look up in a dictionary.
- To add to a dictionary.
- To compile a dictionary.
name
- Nickname for a swot or studious person, or one who uses needlessly complicated words.
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ- Proto-Indo-European *déyḱeti Proto-Italic *deikō Classical Latin dīcō Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Classical Latin -tiō Classical Latin dictiō Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āsjos Classical Latin -ārius Classical Latin -ārium Medieval Latin dictiōnāriumlbor. Middle English dixionare English dictionary From Middle English dixionare, a learned borrowing from Medieval Latin dictiōnārium, from Latin dictiōnārius, from dictiō (“a speaking”), from dictus, perfect past participle of dīcō (“to speak”) + -ārium (“room, place”). By surface analysis, diction + -ary.
Synonyms
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Translations
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.