Dictionary vs. Thesaurus

Dictionarynoun

A reference work with a list of words from one or more languages, normally ordered alphabetically, explaining each word's meaning, and sometimes containing information on its etymology, pronunciation, usage, translations, and other data.

Dictionarynoun

(by extension) Any work that has a list of material organized alphabetically; e.g., biographical dictionary, encyclopedic dictionary.

Dictionarynoun

(computing) An associative array, a data structure where each value is referenced by a particular key, analogous to words and definitions in a physical dictionary.

Dictionaryverb

(transitive) To look up in a dictionary.

Dictionaryverb

(transitive) To add to a dictionary.

Dictionaryverb

To compile a dictionary.

Dictionaryverb

(intransitive) To appear in a dictionary.

Dictionarynoun

A book containing the words of a language, arranged alphabetically, with explanations of their meanings; a lexicon; a vocabulary; a wordbook.

Dictionarynoun

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.

Dictionarynoun

a reference book containing an alphabetical list of words with information about them

Dictionarynoun

a book or electronic resource that lists the words of a language (typically in alphabetical order) and gives their meaning, or gives the equivalent words in a different language, often also providing information about pronunciation, origin, and usage

Dictionarynoun

a reference book on a particular subject, the items of which are typically arranged in alphabetical order

Dictionarynoun

a set of words or other text strings made for use in applications such as spellcheckers

Dictionary

A dictionary is a listing of lexemes from the lexicon of one or more specific languages, often arranged alphabetically (or by radical and stroke for ideographic languages), which may include information on definitions, usage, etymologies, pronunciations, translation, etc.. It is a lexicographical reference that shows inter-relationships among the data.A broad distinction is made between general and specialized dictionaries.

Thesaurusnoun

A publication, usually in the form of a book, that provides synonyms (and sometimes antonyms) for the words of a given language.

Thesaurusnoun

(archaic) A dictionary or encyclopedia.

Thesaurusnoun

(information science) A hierarchy of subject headings — canonic titles of themes and topics, the titles serving as search keys.

Thesaurusnoun

A treasury or storehouse; hence, a repository, especially of knowledge; - often applied to a comprehensive work, like a dictionary or cyclopedia.

Thesaurusnoun

a book containing a classified list of synonyms

Thesaurusnoun

a book that lists words in groups of synonyms and related concepts.

Thesaurusnoun

a dictionary or encyclopedia.

Thesaurus

A thesaurus (plural thesauri or thesauruses) or synonym dictionary is a reference work for finding synonyms and sometimes antonyms of words. They are often used by writers to help find the best word to express an idea: ...to find the word, or words, by which [an] idea may be most fitly and aptly expressed Synonym dictionaries have a long history.