Google, in addition to its own spellchecking index, provides hooks into Dictionary.com.
Googleâs own spellchecking [Hack #15] is built upon its own word and phrase database gleaned while indexing web pages. Thus it provides suggestions for lesser known proper names, phrases, common sentence constructs, etc. Google also offers a definition service powered by Dictionary.com (http://www.dictionary.com/). Definitions, while coming from a credible source and augmented by various specialty indexes, can be more limited.
Run a search. Youâll notice on the results page the
phrase âSearched the web for [query
words].â If the query words would appear in a
dictionary, they will be hyperlinked to a dictionary definition.
Identified phrases will be linked as a phrase; for example, the query
"jolly
roger"
will allow you to
look up the phrase âjolly roger.â
On the other hand, the phrase "computer legal"
will allow you to look up the separate words
âcomputerâ and
âlegal.â
The definition search will sometimes fail on obscure words, very new
words, slang, and technical vocabularies (otherwise known as
specialized slang). If you search for a wordâs
meaning and Google canât help you, try enlisting the
services of a metasearch dictionary, like OneLook (http://www.onelook.com/) which indexes over 4
million words in over 700 dictionaries. If that
doesnât work, try Google again with one of the
following tricks, queryword
being the word
you want to find:
If youâre searching for several wordsâyouâre reading a technical manual, for exampleâsearch for several of the words at the same time. Sometimes youâll find a glossary this way. For example, maybe youâre reading a book about marketing, and you donât know many of the words. If you search for
storyboard stet SAU
, youâll get only a few search results, and theyâll all be glossaries.Try searching for your word and the word
glossary
; say,stet glossary
. Be sure to use an unusual word; you may not know what a âspreadâ is in the context of marketing but searching forspread glossary
will get you over 300,000 results for many different kinds of glossaries. See [Hack #19] for language translation.Try searching for the phrase
queryword
means
or the wordsWhat does
queryword
mean?
.If youâre searching for a medical or a technical item, narrow your search to educational (
.edu
) sites. If you want a contextual definition for using equine acupuncture and how it might be used to treat laminitis, try"equine acupuncture" laminitis
.site:edu
will give you a brief list of results. Furthermore, youâll avoid book lists and online stores; handy if youâre seeking information and donât necessarily want to purchase anything. If youâre searching for slang, try narrowing your search to sites like Geocities and Tripod, and see what happens. Sometimes young people put fan sites and other informal cultural collections up on free places like Geocities, and using these you can find many examples of slang in context instead of dry lists of definitions. There are an amazing number of glossaries on Geocities; search forglossary site:geocities.com
, and see for yourself.
Googleâs connection with Dictionary.com means that simple definition checking is very fast and easy. But even more obscure words can be quickly found if you apply a little creative thinking.
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