thesauri
Definition
- Noun (plural of ):
- Reference works: "Thesauri" are dictionaries or wordbooks that list words grouped together according to similarity of meaning (synonyms) and sometimes antonyms. They are typically used to find alternative words or to explore related concepts.
- Controlled vocabularies: In information science, "thesauri" refer to structured sets of terms used for indexing and retrieving information, especially in databases or library catalogs.
Usage Examples
- (Reference works listing synonyms for specific fields.)
- (Wordbooks for finding alternative words.)
- (Controlled vocabularies in information systems.)
Advanced Usage
"A thesaurus of slang": A reference work listing informal or colloquial terms with their synonyms.
- He compiled a thesaurus of 19th-century American slang. (A specialized wordbook for informal language.)
"Multilingual thesauri": Thesauri that provide equivalent terms across multiple languages.
- The European Union uses multilingual thesauri to translate technical documents. (Reference works for cross-language terminology.)
Variants and Related Words
Thesaurus (n, singular): a single reference work of this type.
- I always keep a thesaurus on my desk for writing assignments. (A single synonym dictionary.)
Thesauruses (n, plural): an alternative plural form of "thesaurus."
- Both thesauri and thesauruses are accepted plurals in English. (Two possible plural forms.)
Synonyms
- Wordbook: a book listing words, especially synonyms.
- Lexicon: a dictionary of a particular subject or language (though more general than a thesaurus).
- Glossary: a list of terms with definitions, often for a specialized field.
Related Idioms
- "A walking thesaurus": a person who has an extensive vocabulary and uses many synonyms.
- She's a walking thesaurus; she never repeats the same word twice. (A person with a large vocabulary.)