The most popular dictionary and thesaurus. Meanings & definitions of words in English with examples, synonyms, pronunciations and translations.

Dictionaries A dictionary, sometimes known as a wordbook, is a collection of in one or more specific, often arranged (or by for languages), which may include information on, usage,,,, translation, etc. Or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, sometimes known as a. It is a product which shows inter-relationships among the data. A broad distinction is made between general and.

Specialized dictionaries include words in specialist fields, rather than a complete range of words in the language. Lexical items that describe concepts in specific fields are usually called terms instead of words, although there is no consensus whether and are two different fields of study. In theory, general dictionaries are supposed [ ] to be, mapping word to, while specialized dictionaries are supposed to be, first identifying and then establishing the terms used to designate them. In practice, the two approaches are used for both types.

There are other types of dictionaries that do not fit neatly into the above distinction, for instance, dictionaries of (), and dictionaries. The word dictionary (unqualified) is usually understood to refer to a general purpose. There is also a contrast between dictionaries; the former reflect what is seen as correct use of the language while the latter reflect recorded actual use. Stylistic indications (e.g. 'informal' or 'vulgar') in many modern dictionaries are also considered by some to be less than objectively descriptive. Although the first recorded dictionaries date back to Sumerian times (these were bilingual dictionaries), the systematic study of dictionaries as objects of scientific interest themselves is a 20th-century enterprise, called, and largely initiated.

The birth of the new discipline was not without controversy, the practical dictionary-makers being sometimes accused by others of 'astonishing' lack of method and critical-self reflection. The French-language is an example of an illustrated dictionary. Dictionaries were compiled between the 8th and 14th centuries CE, organizing words in rhyme order (by the last syllable), by alphabetical order of the, or according to the alphabetical order of the first letter (the system used in modern European language dictionaries). The modern system was mainly used in specialist dictionaries, such as those of terms from the and, while most general use dictionaries, such as the Lisan al-`Arab (13th century, still the best-known large-scale dictionary of Arabic) and al-Qamus al-Muhit (14th century) listed words in the alphabetical order of the radicals. The Qamus al-Muhit is the first handy dictionary in Arabic, which includes only words and their definitions, eliminating the supporting examples used in such dictionaries as the Lisan and the. Main articles: and In many languages, such as the English language, the pronunciation of some words is not apparent from their spelling. In these languages, dictionaries usually provide the pronunciation.

For example, the definition for the word dictionary might be followed by the spelling. American English dictionaries often use their own systems with, for example dictionary is respelled as 'dĭk ′shə-nĕr′ē' in the. The IPA is more commonly used within the British Commonwealth countries. Yet others use their own pronunciation respelling systems without diacritics: for example, dictionary may be respelled as. Some online or electronic dictionaries provide audio recordings of words being spoken. Examples [ ] Major English dictionaries [ ]. Further information: Dictionaries of other languages [ ] Histories and descriptions of the dictionaries of other languages include: • • • () • • • • • • • • Online dictionaries [ ] The age of the Internet brought online dictionaries to the desktop and, more recently, to the smart phone.

In 2013 noted that 'Among the top ten lookups on Merriam-Webster Online at this moment are 'holistic, pragmatic, caveat, esoteric' and 'bourgeois.' Teaching users about words they don’t already know has been, historically, an aim of lexicography, and modern dictionaries do this well.' There exist a number of websites which operate as online dictionaries, usually with a specialized focus. Some of them have exclusively user driven content, often consisting of. Download Harem Scarem Karma Cleansing Rar.

Some of the more notable examples include.

Alternative forms [ ] • Proper noun [ ] • The language as written and spoken in the (in contrast with other places, particularly other countries where English is predominant or at least an important language) • 1861, “The Shakespeare Mystery”, in The Atlantic Monthly, v 8, n 47, Boston: Ticknor and Fields, (note): We shall not say that this is British English; but we willingly confess that it is not American English. • 1863,, “The English Language in America”, in Lectures on the English Language, 4th ed., New York: Charles Scribner,: Some noticeable and general differences between American and British English may be explained by the fact, that considerable bodies of Englishmen sometimes emigrated from the same vicinity, and that in their new home they and their multiplied descendants have kept together and continued to employ dialect peculiarities of their native speech, or retained words of general usage which elsewhere perished.