Definition of dictionary Dictionary

/dɪˈkʃʌnɛˌɹi/ - [dikshuneree] - dic•tion•ar•y

We found 13 definitions of dictionary from 7 different sources.

What does dictionary mean?

WordNet

Noun Plural: dictionaries
dictionary - a reference book containing an alphabetical list of words with information about them
		lexicon
		wordbook a reference book containing words (usually with their meanings)
		dictionary entry, lexical entry the entry in a dictionary of information about a word
		bilingual dictionary a dictionary giving equivalent words in two languages
		collegiate dictionary, desk dictionary an abridged dictionary of a size convenient to hold in the hand
		etymological dictionary a dictionary giving the historical origins of each word
		gazetteer a geographical dictionary (as at the back of an atlas)
		learner's dictionary, school dictionary a dictionary specially written for those learning a foreign language
		little dictionary, pocket dictionary a dictionary that is small enough to carry in your pocket
		spell-checker, spelling checker an electronic dictionary in a word processor that can be used to catch misspelled words

= synonym
= antonym
= related word

Wiktionary

dictionary (Noun)
A reference work with a list of words from one or more languages, normally ordered alphabetically and explaining each word's meaning and sometimes containing information on its etymology, usage, translations and other data.
dictionary (Noun)
By extension, any work that has a list of material organized alphabetically; e. g. biographical dictionary, encyclopedic dictionary.
dictionary (Noun)
An associative array , a data structure where each value is referenced by a particular key, analogous to words and definitions in a physical dictionary.
dictionary (Verb)
To look up in a dictionary.
dictionary (Verb)
To add to a dictionary.
dictionary (Verb)
To appear in a dictionary.

Webster DictionaryWebster's Unabridged Dictionary 📘

dictionary (n.)
A book containing the words of a language, arranged alphabetically, with explanations of their meanings; a lexicon; a vocabulary; a wordbook.
dictionary (n.)
Hence, a book containing the words belonging to any system or province of knowledge, arranged alphabetically; as, a dictionary of medicine or of botany; a biographical dictionary.

OmegaWiki DictionaryOmegaWiki Dictionary Ω

dictionary
A reference book containing an explanatory alphabetical list of words, identifying usually, the phonetic, grammatical, and semantic value of each word, often with etymology, citations, and usage guidance and other information.

Chambers DictionaryChamber's 20th Century Dictionary 📕

dictionary
dik′shun-a-ri, n. a book containing the words of a language alphabetically arranged, with their meanings, etymology, &c.: a lexicon: a work containing information on any department of knowledge, alphabetically arranged. [Low L. dictionarium. See Diction.]

Wikipedia

A dictionary is a book which explains the meanings of words. The words are arranged in alphabetical order so that they can be found quickly. The word “dictionary” comes from the Latin “diction” (“word”).

There are several types of dictionaries: dictionaries which explain words and how they are used, dictionaries which translate words from one language to another, dictionaries of biography which tell about famous people, technical dictionaries which explain the meanings of technical words or words connected to a particular subject (sometimes called a thesaurus). Some of these come close to being an encyclopedia, but an encyclopedia gives a lot of extra information about things (knowledge) and does not explain the use of the language.

Dictionaries which explain the meaning of words.

Dictionaries which explain what words mean will give a clear “definition” of the word (e.g. "hippopotamus": a hoofed mammal with thick skin, large mouth and short legs that lives in rivers and lakes of Africa.)

Good dictionaries will also give more information about the word. It will explain how it is pronounced. Usually the International Phonetic Alphabet is used for this. It will explain how the word is used. This is not a problem for a word like “hippopotamus”, but a word like “put” has so many different meanings that a large dictionary may have a whole page or more to explain how it can be used. It will also explain what language the word comes from (e.g. Greek “hippos” horse and “potamus” river