Glossary, Lexicon, Thesaurus and Dictionary

Glossary An alphabetically arrangedlist of the specializedvocabularyof a given subjector fieldof study, with brief definitions, often appearing at the end of a book or at the beginning of a long entryin a technical reference work. Long glossaries may be separately published (example: The ALA Glossary of Library and Information Science, 1983). Glossaries are also availableonline(for examples see the British Library's Digital Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts. For a searchabledirectoryof online glossaries and topical dictionaries, see Glossarist. Compare withlexiconand vocabulary. Lexicon Originally, a dictionaryof Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, or some other literary language. In modern usage, a specializeddictionary orglossaryof the words of a specific subjector fieldof study. In linguistics, a list of all the lexical items (lexemes) in a given language. Thesaurus A book of synonyms and near-synonyms in a written language, usually arrangedconceptually, although dictionaryarrangement is not uncommon. The first thesaurus of the English language,publishedin 1852, was compiled by Peter Mark Roget. Also refers to an alphabetically arranged lexiconof terms comprising the specializedvocabularyof an academic disciplineorfieldof study, showing the logical and semantic relations among terms, particularly a list of subject headings or descriptors used aspreferred terms in indexingthe literatureof the field. In information retrieval, a thesaurus can be used to locate broader terms andrelated terms if the user wishes to expand retrieval, or narrower terms to make a search statementmore specific. A well-designed thesaurus also enables the indexer to maintain consistencyin the assignment of indexingterms to documents. Plural: thesauri. Dictionary A single-volumeor multivolumereference workcontaining brief explanatory entries for terms and topics related to a specificsubjector fieldof inquiry, usually arranged alphabetically (example:Dictionary of Neuropsychology). The entries in a dictionary are usually shorter than those contained in an encyclopediaon the same subject, but the word "dictionary" is often used in the titles of works that should more appropriately be called encyclopedias (example: Dictionary of the Middle Ages in 13 volumes). A language dictionary lists the words of a languagein alphabetical order, giving orthography, syllabication, pronunciation, etymology,definition, and standard usage. Some dictionaries also includesynonyms, antonyms, and brief biographicalandgazetteerinformation. In an unabridged dictionary, an attempt is made to be comprehensivein the numberof terms included (example: Webster's Third New International Dictionary). An abridgeddictionary provides a more limited selection of words and usually less informationin each entry (Webster's New College Dictionary). In a visual dictionary, each term isillustrated.