What does a thesaurus mean

English Dictionary. Word Lists. Grammar English Easy Learning Grammar. English Grammar in Spanish.

A thesaurus is a book that lists words or phrases that mean the same thing or almost the same thing—a book of synonyms. Some thesauruses list words in alphabetical order, just like a dictionary; however, many don't. They have an index at the front, with instructions of how to use the index to find the word you want. Read the instructions. A thesaurus can introduce you to new words, or it can suggest words that you already know. For example, you might find skinny, svelte, thin, emaciated , and skeletal as synonyms of slender, yet each synonym leaves a different impression: skinny usually means too thin and weak, svelte means fit and thin, emaciated and skeletal are thin to the point of sickness or death, and thin means little or no fat. Only thin and svelte provide approximately the same tone and meaning as slender.

What does a thesaurus mean

Search more than , synonyms, antonyms, related words, and idiomatic phrases. The thesaurus is more than just a list of synonyms; it is your guide to more precise and effective use of language. In the early 19th century, archaeologists borrowed the Latin word thesaurus to denote an ancient treasury, such as that in a temple. Soon after, the word was metaphorically applied to a book containing a treasury of words or information about a particular field. In , the English scholar Peter Mark Roget published his Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases , in which he listed a treasury of semantically related words organized into numerous categories. This work led to the common acceptance of the term thesaurus to refer to "a book of words and their synonyms. These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thesaurus. Send us feedback about these examples. More than just a collection of related words—Peter Mark Roget intended his Thesaurus to be a classification of all knowledge. Accessed 14 Mar. Nglish: Translation of thesaurus for Spanish Speakers. Britannica English: Translation of thesaurus for Arabic Speakers. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! See Definitions and Examples ». Log In.

Writers sometimes use thesauri to avoid repetition of words — elegant variation — which is often criticised by usage manuals: "Writers sometimes use them not just to vary their vocabularies but to dress them up too much". How to Use a Thesaurus.

Add to word list Add to word list. Books: reference books. Examples of thesaurus. That one's going right into my sciencey thesaurus. From Slate Magazine. They recorded their answers on a laptop that featured commonly used word-processing tools such as spell check and a thesaurus.

Related to thesaurus: Antonyms. A book of synonyms, often including related and contrasting words and antonyms. A book of selected words or concepts, such as a specialized vocabulary of a particular field, as of medicine or music. All rights reserved. Copyright , , by Random House, Inc. Farlex Trivia Dictionary. Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms.

What does a thesaurus mean

A thesaurus is a handy thing, but sometimes seemingly tiny differences in meaning can actually have a huge impact. Instead, day after day I turn to all the wonderful dictionaries, thesauruses, and weird twists on them that are out there on the internet. Had Palin scoured a thesaurus , she could not have come up with a more inflammatory phrase. Hickes' transcript of the Calendar thesaurus , I, shows an average of one error in every six lines. Thus the ancient Runic inscriptions, as we gather from Hickes's thesaurus , are in the form of a knot. The new thought of a treasury of merits thesaurus meritorum introduced further changes. The work, however, on which his fame as a scholar is most surely based is the thesaurus Graecae linguae.

Sigma lithium corp

In Sanskrit , the Amarakosha is a thesaurus in verse form, written in the 4th century. A thesaurus is a book that lists words or phrases that mean the same thing or almost the same thing—a book of synonyms. We welcome feedback: report an example sentence to the Collins team. Until the 19th century, a thesaurus was any dictionary or encyclopedia , [9] as in the Thesaurus Linguae Latinae Dictionary of the Latin Language , , and the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae Dictionary of the Greek Language , Sign up for free and get access to exclusive content:. From Slate Magazine. That one's going right into my sciencey thesaurus. To top. Most repeat the list of synonyms under each word. English—French French—English. Word Lists. The new thought of a treasury of merits thesaurus meritorum introduced further changes. The work, however, on which his fame as a scholar is most surely based is the thesaurus Graecae linguae.

By signing in, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster. Send us feedback about these examples. These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content that does not reflect the opinions or policies of Collins, or its parent company HarperCollins. You may also like. That one's going right into my sciencey thesaurus. English Quiz. Some thesauri and dictionary synonym notes characterise the distinctions between similar words, with notes on their "connotations and varying shades of meaning". Some recent versions have kept the same organization, though often with more detail under each Head. Before Roget, most thesauri and dictionary synonym notes included discussions of the differences among near-synonyms, as do some modern ones. Chinese English to Simplified. Discover More Example Sentences A thesaurus is a handy thing, but sometimes seemingly tiny differences in meaning can actually have a huge impact. From Ars Technica. Linguistics portal. The words historical thesaurus may send children running to the hills, for fear they're likely to be bored to death by some fellow with a monocle. Hickes' transcript of the Calendar thesaurus , I, shows an average of one error in every six lines.