Collins English-English Dictionary

dictionary ['dɪkʃənərɪ]

1. 1. n 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. 2. n 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 language

   a German-English dictionary

3. 3. n (as modifier) - See also glossary lexicon thesaurus

   a dictionary definition

4. 4. n a reference publication listing words or terms of a particular subject or activity, giving information about their meanings and other attributes

   a dictionary of gardening

5. 5. n a collection of information or examples with the entries alphabetically arranged

   a dictionary of quotations

6. 6. n [Etymology] C16: from Medieval Latin dictionarium collection of words, from Late Latin dictio word; see diction