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dictionaryese.

The style of language used in dictionary definitions, characterized by dry, straightforward, and occasionally awkward phrasing.

13 characters4 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈdɪk.ʃəˌnə.ɹɪˈiːz/Received-Pronunciation/ˈdɪk.ʃən.ɹɪˈiːz/Received-Pronunciation/ˈdɪk.ʃəˌnɛ.ɹiˈiz/Canada, General-American
  1. The style of language used in dictionary definitions, characterized by dry, straightforward, and occasionally awkward phrasing.

    informal · uncountable
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 Proto-Indo-European *-iskos Proto-Germanic *-iskaz Proto-West Germanic *-iskbor. Late Latin -iscus ▲ Vulgar Latin -iscus Latin -ēnsis Old French -eisbor. Middle English -eys English -ese English dictionaryese From dictionary + -ese (suffix denoting jargon used in a particular context).

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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.