overwordExplorer
ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

dictionary.

A reference work listing words or names from one or more languages, usually ordered alphabetically, explaining each term's meanings or senses, often also containing information on its etymology, pronunciation, usage, semantic relations, translations, as well as other relevant information.

10 characters4 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈdɪk.ʃə.nə.ɹi/Received-Pronunciation/ˈdɪk.ʃən.ɹi/Received-Pronunciation/ˈdɪkʃ.nə.ɹi/Received-Pronunciation/ˈdɪk.ʃəˌnɛ.ɹi/US
  1. A reference work listing words or names from one or more languages, usually ordered alphabetically, explaining each term's meanings or senses, often also containing information on its etymology, pronunciation, usage, semantic relations, translations, as well as other relevant information.

    If you want to know the meaning of a word, look it up in the dictionary.
  2. A reference work listing words or names from one or more languages, usually ordered alphabetically, explaining each term's meanings or senses, often also containing information on its etymology, pronunciation, usage, semantic relations, translations, as well as other relevant information. A synchronic dictionary of a standardised language held to only contain words that are properly part of the language.

  3. A reference work listing words or names from one or more languages, usually ordered alphabetically, explaining each term's meanings or senses, often also containing information on its etymology, pronunciation, usage, semantic relations, translations, as well as other relevant information. A reference work on a particular subject or activity in which the entries are arranged alphabetically; an alphabetical encyclopedia.

    broadly
    a law dictionary
    a dictionary of sports
  4. The collection of words used or understood by a particular individual.

    figuratively
  5. Someone or something regarded as a repository or compendium of information.

    figuratively
    walking dictionary
  6. An associative array; a data structure where each value is referenced by a particular key, analogous to words and definitions in a dictionary (noun sense 1).

Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *déyḱeti Proto-Italic *deikō Latin dīcō Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin dictiō Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -ārium ▲ Latin dictiō ▲ Latin -āriusnom. Latin -ārius Latin dictiōnārius? Medieval Latin dictiōnāriumlbor. Middle English dixionare English dictionary From Middle English dixionare, a learned borrowing from Medieval Latin dictiōnārium, from Latin dictiōnārius, from dictiō (“a speaking”), from dictus, perfect past participle of dīcō (“to speak”) + -ārium (“room, place”). By surface analysis, diction + -ary.

verb/ˈdɪk.ʃə.nə.ɹi/Received-Pronunciation/ˈdɪk.ʃən.ɹi/Received-Pronunciation/ˈdɪkʃ.nə.ɹi/Received-Pronunciation/ˈdɪk.ʃəˌnɛ.ɹi/US
  1. To look up in a dictionary.

    transitive
  2. To add to a dictionary.

    transitive
  3. To compile a dictionary.

    intransitive · rare
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *déyḱeti Proto-Italic *deikō Latin dīcō Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin dictiō Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -ārium ▲ Latin dictiō ▲ Latin -āriusnom. Latin -ārius Latin dictiōnārius? Medieval Latin dictiōnāriumlbor. Middle English dixionare English dictionary From Middle English dixionare, a learned borrowing from Medieval Latin dictiōnārium, from Latin dictiōnārius, from dictiō (“a speaking”), from dictus, perfect past participle of dīcō (“to speak”) + -ārium (“room, place”). By surface analysis, diction + -ary.

FROM WORD TO NAME

Try it on your idea.

dictionary has 10 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.

dictionary studiodictionary workshello, dictionary

These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.

Explore the name generator

A word with a source.

Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.