Is a reference book that contains words with their meanings pronunciation parts of speech feelings and definition?

Dictionaries and thesauruses are reference books for words. But what's the difference between them? When do we use a dictionary and when do we use a thesaurus?

Dictionary

A dictionary is a list of words arranged alphabetically, and for each word you can see:

  • definition: the meaning or meanings of the word, often with example sentences
  • part of speech: whether the word is a noun, verb, adjective etc
  • correct spelling: the exact spelling and any possible alternatives
  • pronunciation: how to say the word
  • etymology: the origin of the word (did it come from Latin, for example?)

Here is a simple example of a dictionary entry for the noun "dog":

dog (noun): a domesticated, meat-eating animal that usually has a long snout, excellent sense of smell, and a barking or howling voice

When you want to know what a word means, you look in a dictionary.

Thesaurus

A thesaurus is a list of words arranged in conceptual groups or alphabetically, and for each word you can see:

  • similar words: a number of words that have nearly the same meaning or the same meaning (synonym)
  • opposite words: one or two words that have the opposite meaning (antonym) or nearly opposite meaning

Here is a simple example of a thesaurus entry for the noun "dog":

dog (noun): hound, canine, mongrel, tyke; bitch, pup, puppy, whelp; doggy, mutt

When you don't know the exact word you that want, you look in a thesaurus.

Note:

  • A thesaurus does not give the meaning of words.
  • A thesaurus does not always include antonyms.
  • The plural of thesaurus is "thesauri" or "thesauruses".

Definition of reference book noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

  1. a book that contains facts and information, that you look at when you need to find out something particular
    • dictionaries, encyclopedias and other reference books

See reference book in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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  • British

This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.

[ dik-shuh-ner-ee ]

/ ˈdɪk ʃəˌnɛr i /

This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.


noun, plural dic·tion·ar·ies.

a book, optical disc, mobile device, or online lexical resource (such as Dictionary.com) containing a selection of the words of a language, giving information about their meanings, pronunciations, etymologies, inflected forms, derived forms, etc., expressed in either the same or another language; lexicon; glossary. Print dictionaries of various sizes, ranging from small pocket dictionaries to multivolume books, usually sort entries alphabetically, as do typical CD or DVD dictionary applications, allowing one to browse through the terms in sequence. All electronic dictionaries, whether online or installed on a device, can provide immediate, direct access to a search term, its meanings, and ancillary information: an unabridged dictionary of English; a Japanese-English dictionary.

a book giving information on particular subjects or on a particular class of words, names, or facts, usually arranged alphabetically: a biographical dictionary; a dictionary of mathematics.

Computers.

  1. a list of codes, terms, keys, etc., and their meanings, used by a computer program or system.
  2. a list of words used by a word-processing program as the standard against which to check the spelling of text entered.

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is commonly used with other verbs to express intention?

Origin of dictionary

1520–30; <Medieval Latin dictiōnārium,dictiōnārius<Late Latin dictiōn- word (see diction) + -ārium, -ārius-ary

Words nearby dictionary

dictation, dictator, dictatorial, dictatorship, diction, dictionary, dictionary and thesaurus, dictionary attack, dictionary catalog, dictionary catalogue, Dictionary.com

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use dictionary in a sentence

  • The latest edition of the unfinished dictionary was published in nine volumes in the 1930s.

  • Actually, the word does show up in dictionaries, even if it is considered “nonstandard.”

  • If you can manage to not fall off that big, wide, beginner-friendly wedge of foam that is the soft-top board, you are—at least according to the dictionary—surfing.

  • In certain moments, airports certainly conjure up that other definition of romance, inspiring “a quality or feeling of mystery, excitement, and remoteness from everyday life,” as a dictionary puts it.

  • For a straight-up dictionary with the correct American English spellings, it’s hard to beat Merriam-Webster.

  • The definition of “innuendo,” according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “an oblique allusion.”

  • In fact, my Random House Dictionary goes so far as to define it.

  • Other new admissions to the dictionary include qayaq—an alternate spelling of kayak—and thongy.

  • “It is a virtual dictionary of the cityscape of Los Angeles,” Tarsia says.

  • Navigating this brave new world is the inventively-named Anana, an employee at a soon to be obsolete print dictionary.

  • He prepared a glossary of provincial and archological words, intended for a supplement to Johnson's Dictionary.

  • And when they came to the next story the Boy took pleasure in doing his own hunting in the dictionary.

  • The Dictionary we have compiled will tell the amateur what names will most probably supply the qualities he desires.

  • A big dictionary placed in an armchair, raised little Henrietta to the proper height at the Norwood dinner table.

  • Well, suppose you are allowed one, and you choose a French dictionary, and try to learn it off by heart before you come out.

British Dictionary definitions for dictionary


noun plural -aries

  1. a reference resource, in printed or electronic form, that consists of an alphabetical list of words with their meanings and parts of speech, and often a guide to accepted pronunciation and syllabification, irregular inflections of words, derived words of different parts of speech, and etymologies
  2. a similar reference work giving equivalent words in two or more languages. Such dictionaries often consist of two or more parts, in each of which the alphabetical list is given in a different languagea German-English dictionary
  3. (as modifier)a dictionary definition See also glossary, lexicon, thesaurus

a reference publication listing words or terms of a particular subject or activity, giving information about their meanings and other attributesa dictionary of gardening

a collection of information or examples with the entries alphabetically arrangeda dictionary of quotations

Word Origin for dictionary

C16: from Medieval Latin dictiōnārium collection of words, from Late Latin dictiō word; see diction

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Is a reference book that contains words with their meanings pronunciations parts of speech feelings and definition?

A dictionary is a book in which the words and phrases of a language are listed, usually in alphabetical order, together with their meanings or their translations in another language.

What do you call a reference book that gives meanings to words?

A thesaurus is a reference book used to find different words that have the same or similar meanings.

Which reference book helps with spelling and parts of speech?

Dictionaries and thesauruses are reference books for words..
definition: the meaning or meanings of the word, often with example sentences..
part of speech: whether the word is a noun, verb, adjective etc..
correct spelling: the exact spelling and any possible alternatives..
pronunciation: how to say the word..

Which part of a book defines words used in the book?

Sometimes called the idioticon, vocabulary, or clavis, the glossary is essentially a book's personal dictionary. Utilizing one in your book is a great way to define, list, and expand upon unfamiliar, made up, or intricate terms used in the book. The glossary is found in the back matter of the book.