README.md

A dictionary is a listing of words in 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.^[ or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, sometimes known as a lexicon. It is a lexicographical reference that shows inter-relationships among the data.

A broad distinction is made between general and specialized dictionaries. Specialized dictionaries include words in specialist fields, rather than a complete range of words in the language. Lexical items that describe concepts in specific fields are usually called terms instead of words, although there is no consensus whether lexicology and terminology are two different fields of study. In theory, general dictionaries are supposed to be semasiological, mapping word to definition, while specialized dictionaries are supposed to be onomasiological, first identifying concepts and then establishing the terms used to designate them. In practice, the two approaches are used for both types. There are other types of dictionaries that do not fit neatly into the above distinction, for instance bilingual (translation) dictionaries, dictionaries of synonyms (thesauri), and rhyming dictionaries. The word dictionary (unqualified) is usually understood to refer to a general purpose monolingual dictionary.

There is also a contrast between prescriptive or descriptive dictionaries; the former reflect what is seen as correct use of the language while the latter reflect recorded actual use. Stylistic indications (e.g. "informal" or "vulgar") in many modern dictionaries are also considered by some to be less than objectively descriptive.

Although the first recorded dictionaries date back to Sumerian times (these were bilingual dictionaries), the systematic study of dictionaries as objects of scientific interest themselves is a 20th-century enterprise, called lexicography, and largely initiated by Ladislav Zgusta. The birth of the new discipline was not without controversy, the practical dictionary-makers being sometimes accused by others of "astonishing" lack of method and critical-self reflection.

• Longman Dictionary of Common Errors
• Dictionary of Nursing
• The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy
• Dictionary of Mathematics Terms
• Microsoft Computer Dictionary
• The Hutchinson Dictionary of Difficult Words
• Dictionary of Islamic Architecture
• Dictionary of Computer and Internet Terms
• Dictionary of Erotic Artists
• Dictionary of Leisure, Travel and Tourism
• Smith's Bible Dictionary
• Dictionary of Politics and Government
• A Dictionary of Archaeology
• Linux Dictionary
• Indian Medicinal Plants: An Illustrated Dictionary
• The Cambridge Dictionary of Psychology
• The Dictionary of Human Geography
• The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations
• Dictionary of Food Science and Nutrition
• The Illustrated Dictionary of Electronics
• Dream Dictionary For Dummies
• A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols
• Dictionary of geophysics, astrophysics, and astronomy
• The Nonverbal Dictionary of gestures, signs and body language cues
• Allen's Dictionary of English Phrases
• Dictionary of Oil, Gas, and Petrochemical Processing
• The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary
• A Dictionary of Chemistry
• IFIS Dictionary of Food Science and Technology
• Dictionary of Media and Communication Studies
• Phonics Spelling Dictionary
• Naturally Speaking: A Dictionary of Quotations on Biology, Botany, Nature and Zoology
• The Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs
• A Dictionary of Neurological Signs
• Concise Dictionary of Proverbs
• English-Spanish Dictionary
• Polymer Science Dictionary
• The Oxford Dictionary of English Grammar
• A Dictionary of Epidemiology
• Medical Dictionary
• A concise dictionary of the words in the Hebrew bible
• A Dictionary of Literary Symbols
• Historical Dictionary of Architecture
• A Dictionary of Philosophy of Religion
• Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms
• A Dictionary of Human Rights
• Dictionary of Human Resources and Personnel Management
• A Dictionary of Philosophy
• The Facts on File Dictionary of Earth Science
• The Essential Law Ditionary
• Dictionary of Pharmaceutical Medicine
• The Oxford Dictionary of Medical Quotations
• Accounting Dictionary
• Dictionary of Transport and Logistics
• Law Dictionary
• The Dictionary of Dreams: Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted
• Environmental Engineering Dictionary and Directory
• A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture
• International Dictionary of Marketing
• Dictionary of Psychology and Allied Sciences
• A Dictionary of Diplomacy
• Drug dictionary for dentistry
• Biology Dictionary
• English−french Dictionary
• Dictionary of Flowers and Plants for Gardening
• Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
• Dictionary of Architecture and Construction
• NTC's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
• Metaphorically Speaking: A Dictionary of 3,800 Picturesque Idiomatic Expressions
• The Oxford Dictionary of Allusions
• The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms
• A Dictionary of Earth Sciences
• Essential Japanese Phrasebook and Dictionary: Speak Japanese with Confidence!
• The Official Dictionary of Unofficial English
• Melloni's Pocket Medical Dictionary
• Instant Chinese: How to Express Over 1,000 Different Ideas with Just 100 Key Words and Phrases! (A Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook and Dictionary)
• A dictionary of Chinese characters
• The Dictionary of Body Language: A Field Guide to Human Behavior
• The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary
• Milady's Skin Care and Cosmetic Ingredients Dictionary
• Dictionary of Aviation
• Historical Dictionary of Ancient Egypt
• The Hutchinson Dictionary of Difficult Words
• A Modern Dictionary of Geography
• Dorland's Dictionary of Medical Acronyms and Abbreviations
• Russian Learners' Dictionary: 10,000 Russian Words in Frequency Order
• The Sage Dictionary of Sociology
• The New Oxford Picture Dictionary: Monolingual English Edition
• A Comprehensive Dictionary of Economics
• The Oxford Thesaurus: An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms
• Animal Behavior Desk Reference: A Dictionary of Animal Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution
• New Dictionary of Theology
• A Dictionary of Confusable Phrases
• Oxford First Dictionary
• The Cambridge Dictionary of Statistics
• CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology

Online dictionaries

 List of online dictionaries

The age of the Internet brought online dictionaries to the desktop and, more recently, to the smart phone. David Skinner in 2013 noted that "Among the top ten lookups on Merriam-Webster Online at this moment are 'holistic, pragmatic, caveat, esoteric' and 'bourgeois.' Teaching users about words they don’t already know has been, historically, an aim of lexicography, and modern dictionaries do this well."

There exist a number of websites which operate as online dictionaries, usually with a specialized focus. Some of them have exclusively user driven content, often consisting of neologisms. Some of the more notable examples include:

• Double-Tongued Dictionary (user generated content)
• Free On-line Dictionary of Computing
• LEO (website)
• Logos Dictionary
• Pseudodictionary (exclusively user-defined neologisms, with humorous intent)
• dict.cc