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Information Sources and Services

Notes but a subject dictionary. Modern large dictionaries called unabridged dictionaries are
encyclopaedic in nature, providing information about the thing and the word.

9.1 Definition and Scope

Dictionary is the most widely known and used reference book. The word ‘dictionary’ is derived
from the Medieval Latin word ‘dictionarium’ – a collection of words. It originated from the term
‘diction’ meaning ‘a mode of expression’. A dictionary generally deals with the collection of
general words either of a language or of special terms of a particular subject. It usually defines
terms and gives their alternate meaning, usage, etc. Some dictionaries give derivation and
history of words too. The words are arranged in some definite order, usually alphabetical.
Sometimes the entries are arranged in classified order and are presented in related groups. In a
nutshell, a dictionary deals with words, their meaning and uses.
The science of compiling a dictionary is called lexicography. There are some reference books,
which also deal with words but are known by various other names. They have identical purpose
with a light difference in scope. They are known as:

Glossary: The word ‘glossary’ originates from the Latin word ‘glossarium’ meaning ‘a collection
of words peculiar to a field of knowledge’. Each entry in a glossary is known as a ‘gloss’ meaning
‘a word’, a comment’, ‘an explanation’ or ‘an interpretation’. It is an alphabetical list of terms and
explanations often of specialised or technical nature such as a glossary of computer terms.

Example: Glossary of Indian Religious Terms and Concepts/Narendra Nath
Bhattacharyya. Columbia: South Asia Pub., 1990. It seeks to explain the basic significance of
various terms and concepts which characterizes different religious systems of India.
Glossary of Indian Medical Plants. New Delhi: CSIR, 1956; a supplement brought out in 1968.
Scientific names of the plants together with their popular synonyms and medicinal value of each
plant are described.
The A.L.A. Glossary of Library and Information Science Terms/edited by H. Young. Chicago:
American Library Association, 1983.
Lexicon: It is derived from a Greek word ‘Lexicon’, meaning ‘dictionary’. Each entry in the
Lexicon is known as ‘Lexis’ meaning ‘a word’. Lexicon is a dictionary of words of a language,
arranged alphabetically giving meaning in another language. It is chiefly applied to dictionaries
of Greek, Syrian, Arabic, Latin and Hebrew languages.

Example: English-Chinese Lexicon of Women Law/ed. By Sharon K Hom and Xin
Chunying. Paris : UNESCO, 1995.
In recent years, the scope of a lexicon has been widened. There are two types of lexicon:
(i) The lexicon of a language or dialect and
(ii) The lexicon of writers or individual works.

The lexicon of a language or dialect is concerned with semantics and etymology. The lexicon of
any language forms a complex system. Its words are linked with one another both, in sound
form (i.e., homonyms and paronyms) and meanings (i.e., synonyms and antonyms).

Example: Longman Lexicon of Contemporary English/ed. By M.C. Arthur. London:
Longman, 1981.

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