This script fetches, parses, and displays dictionary entries from the Unabridged Merriam-Webster website. The entries are formatted as plain text for display in a terminal.

Authentication

The Unabridged Merriam-Webster is subscription-based, and requires a login to access dictionary content. Login credentials for your account should be stored in secret.py as a function returning a 2-element list:

def auth():
    return ('email@domain.com', 'Pa$$w0rd')

Emacs

The function below prompts for a word, executes mw.py, and displays the output in a new buffer.

(defun mw ()
  (interactive)
  (let ((word (read-from-minibuffer "Lookup word: ")))
    (let ((buffname (format "*m-w: %s*" word))
          (cmd (format "mw.py %s" word)))
      (with-output-to-temp-buffer  buffname
        (shell-command cmd
                       buffname
                       "*Messages*")
        (pop-to-buffer buffname)))))