See Also: dictionary(dictionary)
Dictionary(medicine)
dictionary(dictionary)
dictionary(encyclopedia)
Medical dictionary(health)
Health dictionary(health)
Oxford English Dictionary, The (OED)(encyclopedia)
Oxford English Dictionary, the(dictionary)
On-line Medical Dictionary(medicine)
Dictionary of National Biography, The(dictionary)

dictionary (iou)



dictionary noun. E16.
[medieval Latin dictionarium (sc. manuale MANUAL noun) and dictionarius (sc. liber book), from Latin dictio(n-): see DICTION, -ARY1.]
I.
a. A book explaining or translating, usu. in alphabetical order, words of a language or languages, giving their pronunciation, spelling, meaning, part of speech, and etymology, or one or some of these. E16.
abridged dictionary, children's dictionary, dictionary of Americanisms, pronouncing dictionary, slang dictionary, unabridged dictionary, etc. have swallowed the dictionary use long and recondite words.
b. The vocabulary or whole list of words used or admitted by someone. L16-E18.
c. An ordered list stored in and used by a computer; esp. a list of words acceptable to a word processor. M20.
A book of information or reference on any subject in which the entries are arranged alphabetically. M17.
biographical dictionary, dictionary of the Bible, dictionary of proverbs, etc.
II. fig.
A person or thing regarded as a repository of knowledge, convenient for consultation. E17.