Alternatives To Mainstream Online Dictionaries
Most of the major publishers of print dictionaries offer free online versions. These have pretty much the same format. You type a word into a search box which brings up a page of standard definitions and a link to a pronunciation sound file. Alternative online dictionaries cover a much wider range of words, meanings and related information. Many are interactive, incorporating definitions contributed by users. Read on for descriptions of some of the most popular alternatives to mainstream dictionaries.
Wiki
A wiki dictionary is an evolving collaborative project in which online dictionary users write and edit all of the content. The aim is to not supply standard definitions, but give enough information to allow someone unfamiliar with a word to gain a good understanding of all its meanings. Word entries can include things like etymologies, sample quotations, synonyms and foreign translations. The dictionary can easily be updated as words acquire new meanings or new words enter the language. However, like all wikis, it lacks the authority of a work published by experts.
Slang
The web is crawling with dictionaries dedicated to slang used by various groups. Slang dictionaries available online in English include teenage, ghetto, gangsta, gay, WWI, Australian, British, Scottish, Cockney and many more. Some sites are online versions of published slang dictionaries, some are comprehensive sites created for the web and some are made up of words and definitions contributed by users. Many include additional features such as lists of the most offensive words in a particular dialect.
Swear words
It's common knowledge that when kids are introduced to the dictionary for the first time, they immediately start looking up dirty words. Now there are online 'alternative' dictionaries in several languages that cater to people who want to look up nothing else. They include rude phrases and expressions in addition to individual words. Bodily excretions, sexual acts, taboo body parts and blasphemy are all covered. If you want to know what that Greek taxi driver called the guy who cut him off in traffic, look no further.
Urban Subculture
An urban dictionary seeks to capture cool new words and phrases used by streetwise youths. Definitions and examples of the word used in context are submitted to the dictionary by the site's users. They include taboo subjects such as names for a wide variety of deviant sexual acts. Quite often the expressions are based on puns or wordplay and can be quite humorous. For example 'gate rape' refers to a full body search by airport security.
Etymological
If you're wondering where a word comes from (as opposed to what it means) you can find the answer in an etymological dictionary. There are many available online. One of the most comprehensive of these is a site in progress which hopes to eventually cover the etymology of every word in every language. This will allow users to understand how words in different languages are related. Etymological dictionaries are a treasure trove of interesting facts and conjectures. For example, according to online sources, the word coffee either derives from the Kaffa region of Ethiopia where it was grown or from 'qahwah' an Arabic word for wine.
Visual
A visual dictionary is useful for those occasions where you can visualize the thing you want to write about, but you just can't remember what it's called. Say you need the specific word for the top front part of a shoe. Choose 'clothing' from the available themes and an illustrated list appears. Scroll down this list until you see a thumbnail picture of a shoe. Click on the picture to bring up a shoe diagram with every part labelled. You will see that the word you were looking for is 'vamp'. Click on the word to check the definition and pronunciation.
Online alternatives to mainstream dictionaries are more than reference works. If you're a word lover or language maven they can provide hours of entertainment. In addition, they can give you a unique insight into a particular culture or subculture.
About the Author
This article was brought to you on behalf of Alternative.to team. The firs alternative dictionary in the internet. Feel free to visit the website and add some of your own alternatives.
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