Dictionary

A dictionary is a list of words.

It shows what words mean. It can also show how to say them.

Some books list words from one language. Other books help you translate words. You can find lists of words that rhyme, too.

People have used these lists for a long time. The first ones were very old. They were made in a place called Sumer.

Long ago, people wrote lists on clay. These lists helped people learn two ways to talk. This helped them understand each other.

Today, we use them to learn new things. They are great tools for reading.

A dictionary is a special list of words.

Most dictionaries put words in ABC order. This makes them easy to use. They show what a word means. They can also show how to say it. Some books help you translate words. Others list words that rhyme.

People have used these lists for a very long time. The first ones date back to Sumerian times.

Those early lists were on clay tablets. They helped people use two languages at once. The oldest single-language dictionary is from China. It is called the Erya.

In 1220, a man named John of Garland used the word "dictionary." Later, people made many types of books. Some books show how words should be used. Others show how people actually speak. In 1604, Robert Cawdrey wrote the first English alphabetical dictionary. It was called A Table Alphabeticall. Today, we study how to make these books. We call this study lexicography. It helps us understand how our words change over time.

A dictionary is a helpful list of words from one or more languages.

Most people use them to find definitions or see how to use a word. They can also show how to say a word or where it came from. Some dictionaries are made for one specific subject, which are called specialized dictionaries. These focus on terms used in special fields rather than every word in a language. Other books help you translate between languages or find words that rhyme.

People use these tools to understand the deep links between different words.

There are different ways to organize these lists of words. Many use alphabetical order, which follows the sequence of the alphabet. Some languages use different systems, like using the roots of words. In Chinese, dictionaries might use a system based on strokes in a character. Some dictionaries are prescriptive, meaning they show how people should use language correctly. Others are descriptive, which means they record how people actually speak in real life. This can include notes on whether a word is informal or common.

Humans have been making word lists for thousands of years. The very first ones date back to Sumerian times around 2300 BCE.

These early lists were written on clay tablets to help with two languages. The oldest single-language dictionary is the Erya from China. In the 8th century, Al-Khalil ibn Ahmad al-Farahidi wrote the first Arabic dictionary. Long ago, the Sanskrit dictionary Amarakośa used verse to list 10,000 words. These early works helped people share ideas across different cultures and eras.

Many famous books helped shape how we use words today. In 1604, Robert Cawdrey wrote A Table Alphabeticall, the first English alphabetical dictionary.

Later, the Italian Vocabolario degli Accademici della Crusca became a model for others. In 1858, the Brothers Grimm began the huge Deutsches Wörterbuch. This massive project took many years and was not finished until 1961. Other important works include the Spanish dictionary from the Royal Spanish Academy. These books provide a standard for how people write and speak.

Today, we have a special science for studying these books. This study is called lexicography. It became a formal field of study in the 20th century. A man named Ladislav Zgusta helped start this scientific work. Lexicography helps us understand how the words we use every day change. It turns the study of words into a careful and organized task. By looking at dictionaries, we can see the history of human thought. We can see how much our world has grown through our language.

A dictionary is a specialized lexicographical reference tool.

It provides a structured listing of lexemes, which are the base forms of words. These entries often include definitions, usage instructions, etymologies, and pronunciations. Dictionaries serve to show the complex inter-relationships among linguistic data. They act as essential maps for understanding the lexicon of one or more languages. By organizing these items, dictionaries help humans navigate the vastness of human communication.

There are two primary ways to approach the creation of a dictionary. One method is semasiological, which maps a specific word to its definition. The other method is onomasiological, which identifies a concept first and then finds the term for it.

In practice, dictionary makers often use both approaches. Dictionaries can also be categorized by their scope. General dictionaries cover a comprehensive range of a language. Specialized dictionaries focus on terms used in specific professional fields. These specific items are often called terms rather than words.

Different types of dictionaries serve different linguistic needs. Bilingual dictionaries function as translation tools between two languages. Thesauri are dictionaries of synonyms that help writers find similar words. Rhyming dictionaries assist with poetic structure.

Another major distinction is between prescriptive and descriptive dictionaries. Prescriptive dictionaries aim to show the "correct" way to use a language. Descriptive dictionaries instead record how people actually use the language in real life. Modern dictionaries may include stylistic notes, such as labeling a word as "informal" or "vulgar."

The history of wordlists stretches back to ancient Sumerian times around 2300 BCE.

The earliest recorded examples were bilingual cuneiform tablets found in Ebla. These were Sumerian–Akkadian wordlists used during the Akkadian Empire. A canonical Babylonian version of these lists is known as the Urra=hubullu glossary. In China, the Erya stands as the earliest surviving monolingual dictionary. Other ancient works include the Sanskrit Amarakośa, which used verse to list approximately 10,000 words. These early tools allowed different cultures to communicate and preserve their knowledge.

As civilizations grew, dictionaries became more diverse and complex. In the 8th century, Al-Khalil ibn Ahmad al-Farahidi wrote the first Arabic dictionary.

During the 12th century, Mahmud Kashgari finished the "Divan-u Lügat'it Türk." This work contained between 7,500 and 8,000 words to teach Turkic dialects to non-Turkic Muslims. In the 14th century, the Codex Cumanicus served as a dictionary for the Cuman-Turkic language. These historical texts demonstrate how language instruction was vital for trade, religion, and governance across the globe.

European lexicography saw significant shifts during the Renaissance and Enlightenment. In 1604, Robert Cawdrey wrote "A Table Alphabeticall," the first purely English alphabetical dictionary.

Later, the Italian "Vocabolario degli Accademici della Crusca," published in 1612, became a model for other nations. Massive projects also emerged, such as the "Deutsches Wörterbuch" by the Brothers Grimm. This German dictionary began in 1858 and was not completed until 1961. Such long-term efforts show the immense dedication required to document a language fully.

Today, the systematic study of these books is a scientific discipline called lexicography.

This field emerged as a formal enterprise in the 20th century. Ladislav Zgusta is credited with largely initiating this scientific study. The birth of lexicography was actually quite controversial. Some critics accused practical dictionary-makers of having a lack of method and critical self-reflection. Despite these early debates, lexicography remains essential for understanding how language evolves and functions within human systems.